Turkish publisher investigated for ‘terrorism funding’ over royalty payments to jailed authors

Prosecutors have opened a “terrorism funding” investigation into a Turkish publishing house over royalty payments to two contributors writing and editing from behind bars, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

Kor Kitap said its representative had been detained for four days, then put under house arrest and judicial supervision over the probe.

A Kor Kitap official told Agence France-Presse the royalty payments were made to Tonguç Ok and Necip Baysal, who both write, edit and translate and had been in jail for years, describing them as “political prisoners.”

In a post on X, Kor Kitap said they were using the money “to buy things from the prison canteen.”

But prosecutors had classified that as “terrorist activity” and opened a financial crimes investigation into the company representative who made the payments, the official said.

“Royalty payments to writers/translators/editors who produce in prisons are not terrorist financing,” Kor Kitap said on X, demanding that “this unlawful decision be overturned as soon as possible.

“We will not allow attempts to imprison thought and culture.”

The move was also denounced by the Turkish Publishers Association as “extremely worrying for the publishing world and freedom of expression” in a statement posted on X.

“It is a legitimate right, within the framework of universal legal principles, constitutional rights and publishing ethics, for authors, translators and editors Tonguç Ok and Necip Baysal to receive royalties for their work, even under prison conditions,” it said.

It said prison canteen purchases were “under surveillance and control” and could in no way be linked to “terrorist financing,” demanding an end to the pressure on publishing activities.

“The house arrest order against the publishing house representative must be immediately lifted, and all forms of pressure on freedom of thought and expression must end,” it said.

© Agence France-Presse