Journalist Nedim Türfent released after six and a half years in prison

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Convicted of "terror" crimes, journalist Nedim Türfent was released from prison today (November 29) after completing his sentence.

The journalist was arrested in May 2016 and was eventually sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

In August, he was transferred from the Van High-Security Prison to the Elazığ Karakoçan Type K-1 Closed Prison.

His family members and members of the Dicle-Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) met him at the prison gate.

What happened?

While he was a reporter for the Dicle News Agency (DİHA), which was closed by a Statutory Decree, journalist Nedim Türfent was detained in Yüksekova in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Hakkari province on May 12, 2016.

One day later, he was arrested on charge of "being a member of a terrorist organization." He was indicted 13 months after his arrest. When his first hearing was held on June 14, 2017, he had been behind bars for 399 days.

Of 20 witnesses who previously spoke against him, 19 witnesses later said that they testified under torture and withdrew their statements. However, disregarding this, the court sentenced Nedim Türfent to 8 years, 9 months in prison, based on the first witness statements.

This ruling, dated May 21, 2019, was upheld by the Court of Cassation on May 21, 2019. His individual application is still awaiting examination by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). (HA/VK)