Kurdish Journalists and Politicians Sentenced to 167 Years

The former editorial manager and concessionaire of the Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat, Emine Demir, received prison terms of 138 years under charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK", the militant Kurdistan Workers Party. The sentence is based on articles Demir had accepted to be published in the paper.

The 24-year-old journalist was convicted by the Diyarbakır 5^th High Criminal Court in the Kurdish-majority region of south-eastern Turkey on 30 December 2010. At the same time, President Abdullah Gül visited the city of Diyarbakır and local officials.

Previously, the former editor-in-chief of the Kurdish daily, Vedat Kurşun, was sentenced to 166 years in jail under the same charges; former Azadiya Welat chief editor Ozan Kılıç received a prison sentence of 21 years. Both journalists are incarcerated in the Diyarbakır E Type Prison.

138 years behind bars

Un-detained journalist Demir did not attend the Thursday hearing but was represented by her lawyer Servet Özen.

Özen requested to consider the articles and news items subject to the trial within the scope of freedom of thought and opinion and advocated for her client's acquittal.

However, the court board ruled for an 84-count sentence applying Article 314 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) on "committing a crime on behalf of an organization without being a member of that organization" based on 84 items published in 2008 and 2009 that allegedly "spread propaganda for an illegal organization". The court decreed for a one year and six months punishment for each article, adding up to prison terms of 138 years. Additionally, an arrest warrant was released in Demir's name.

Gurbet Çakar three years in jail

On the same day, the Diyarbakır 6^th High Criminal Court handed down a three-year prison sentence to Gurbet Çakar, former editor-in-chief of the Heviya Jine magazine ('Women's Hope'). She was found guilty of "committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization without being a member of the organization" and "making propaganda for the PKK". Çakar was released after the hearing. She had been detained by the Diyarbakır Public Prosecution since the middle of March after she had appeared to give her statement.

Adanır detained for another two months at least

The same court continued the case against Bedri Adanır, responsible manager of the Hawar newspaper. It was decided to keep the journalist in detention until the coming hearing on 3 March 2011.

Kurdish politicians Tuğluk silenced for five months

On 30 December, Kurdish politician Aysel Tuğluk, Co-Chair of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Congress (DTK), was sentenced to ten month behind bars by a court in Erzurum (eastern Anatolia) on charges of "praising a crime and a criminal" and "spreading PKK propaganda".

An investigation had been launched in the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı (province of Erzurum) on the grounds of a speech Tuğluk delivered in the district. The file had been forwarded to the Erzurum Special Authority 2^nd High Criminal Court.

The case against the Kurdish politician was opened on 12 March 2010. At the final hearing on Thursday, the court decreed to postpone the pronouncement of the judgement. Accordingly, the sentence will only be executed if Tuğluk commits the same sort of crime within the coming five years.

10 months imprisonment for Kurdish Politician Sadak

The mayor of Siirt and member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Selim Sadak, received the same sentence on charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK".

Sadak was convicted on the grounds of his speech delivered at a meeting in the city of Silopi (south-eastern province of Şırnak) on 19 October 2008. He initially received a prison sentence of one year under article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law which was then mitigated to ten months.