Kurdish journalist Mehmet Şah Oruç faces 22 years in prison on 'terrorism' charges

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A Diyarbakır prosecutor has prepared an indictment against Mehmet Şah Oruç, a journalist for Mezopotamya Agency (MA), who was detained along with nine other Kurdish journalists in late April.

The detentions were part of a broader crackdown on Kurdish rights-focused groups, including political parties, lawyers' organizations and media outlets. Four journalists, including Oruç, were eventually arrested.

The 63-page indictment accuses Oruç of "membership in a terrorist organization" and promoting its activities, demanding a sentence of up to 22 years and 6 months.

The prosecution used Oruç's 35 bylined articles as "evidence" for his alleged crimes. One of these articles was about the curfews in Lice, Diyarbakır, during the 2015-2016 urban conflict, entitled "Bans and operations turn lives into nightmares."

The indictment also targets news reports related to the prison conditions Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and hunger strikes carried out in protest of his conditions by the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) members, and statements from then-MPs from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on the issue. Imprisoned for 24 years, Öcalan has rarely been allowed visits with his family and lawyers.

Social media posts

The prosecution also framed MA as the "legal press organization of the PKK."

The indictment also includes tapped phone conversations between Oruç and his colleagues, as well as Oruç's social media posts.

The prosecution accused Oruç of "promoting terrorist propaganda" through his social media posts, and assessed his defense statement as an attempt to evade guilt.

The indictment was initially sent to the Diyarbakır 4th Heavy Penal Court; however, the court claimed "lack of jurisdiction" and transferred the case to Bitlis, where Oruç resides. The Bitlis 2nd Heavy Penal Court accepted the indictment.

The court is set to determine the date for the trial. (HA/VK)