JinNews reporter Beritan Canözer detained in police raid

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JinNews reporter Beritan Canözer has been detained during a police raid in her home in the southeastern Diyarbakır province.

After searching her home, police took her to the Diyarbakır Security Directorate. The details of the investigation against the reporter are currently unclear.

In December 2015, Canözer was detained while following a demonstration in Diyarbakır. She was held in detention at the Anti-Terror Branch for four days. Police had later stated that she was detained on "reasonable suspicion" as she looked "excited."

In May 2016, Canözer was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" because of the notes she had taken for her news articles and social media posts and of "guiding the crowd" during the demonstration in December 2015.

In June 2020, Özer was sentenced to 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in prison, again for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization," because of four comments and one like on social media.

Canözer was also detained on April 5 during a raid in his home and was released three days later.

She was granted the Special Jury Award at the 19th Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards.

About JinNews

With a team of women editors and reporters, JinNews ("woman news" in Kurdish) exclusively focuses on women's issues.

It is published in five languages: Turkish, Kurdish, Zaza language, English and Arabic. It was founded on September 25, 2017, with the slogan, "On the path to truth, with a women's pen." Safiye Alağaş, the news director of the website, was awarded the International Prize for Journalism by the Italy-based Maria Grazia Cutuli Onlus Foundation.

JinNews succeeds outlets that were shut down upon statutory decrees (KHK). The JİNHA, which had defined itself as the "first women's news agency in Turkey," was shut down on October 29, 2016, upon Statutory Decree no. 675. The "Gazete Şûjin," founded in December 2016, was shut down on August 25, 2017, upon Statutory Decree no. 693.

(HA/VK)