Journalist Öncel Acquitted of 'Terror Propaganda'

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Arjin Dilek Öncel, a reporter for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), has been acquitted of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" over her social media posts.

Facing 1 to 7.5 years in prison, Öncel was acquitted in the first hearing that was held at Diyarbakır 11th Heavy Penal Court.

"I shared a news report by the agency that I have been working for five years," she said in her defense statement, adding that her only intention was to share the news.

What she shared was a news report about the rescue of civilians in Syria's Raqqa province, she further said. "There was no propaganda purpose and it was not violent."

The prosecutor requested a prison sentence for the reporter.

Giving his statement after the prosecutor, attorney Resul Temur said they do not agree with the prosecutor's opinion, stressing that similar news reports were published by other news sites such as Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet and Sözcü.

Öncel's post was within the scope of the freedom of expression and freedom of obtaining information, the attorney asserted, questioning why reporters who work for renowned newspapers were not investigated over similar news reports. He requested the acquittal of his client.

The court acquitted Öncel. (HA/VK)