Kurdish journalist Safiye Alagaş released after a year of arrest

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Safiye Alagaş, who was among the several Kurdish journalists who were arrested following house raids in June 2022, has been released from prison after the first hearing of her trial.

Alagaş is the grant holder and news director of JINNEWS, a news agency focused on women and LGBTI+ issues in the country's predominantly Kurdish-populated regions.

The hearing, held at the Diyarbakır 5th Heavy Penal Court, was attended by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Turkey Representative Özgür Öğret, and International Press Institute (IPI) representatives. Members of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) and the Mezopotamya Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) also observed the trial.

Alagaş and her lawyer Resul Temur were present at the hearing. During her defense against the indictment, Alagaş said she did not accept the charges against her.

She remarked, "The indictment is like George Orwell's '1984.' We are independent journalists. Our aim is to expose and bring to light the violations and injustices that are concealed and neglected, and to reach the public. We carry the awareness and responsibility of doing so. Everyone who claims to be a journalist should act with this responsibility.

"Our news articles, the photographs we use, books, and news notes have become the subject of accusations. Journalistic activities are being questioned and criminalized. We act according to the people, not those who created the system."

Pointing out that Kurdish journalists in Turkey have always faced "death and exile" due to bringing the truth to the public, Alagaş emphasized, "We are not pro-government; we make news in favor of the people. With our news, we appeal to the conscience of society. If I am sitting in the defendant's chair today, it is because journalists in Turkey have failed to fulfill their duties until now. I do not accept the allegations against me."

The journalist accused the authorities of trying to criminalize JINNEWS, which, she said, was established as an alternative to sexist news reporting about women in the country.

Following the defenses, the court ruled for Alagaş's release. However, she was subjected to a travel ban and judicial control measures.

The next hearing is scheduled for November 9.

Background

Safiye Alagaş was among the 20 journalists who were detained on June 8, 2022, in a police raid on their homes and the media organizations where they worked in the predominantly Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakır.

After 8 days of detention, she was arrested on June 16, 2022, along with 16 of her colleagues on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organization."

During the interrogation, journalists were confronted with their news articles, conversations with news sources, and social media posts.

The indictment was prepared in the 10th month of their detention. However, Alagaş was not among the names included in the indictment. Her case was separated, and a separate indictment was prepared against her.

The Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor's Office charged Alagaş with "membership in a terrorist organization."

The prosecutors used her articles, the language used by JINNEWS in their news, news visuals, headlines, and the agency's editorial policy as evidence for the charges.

The prosecutor claimed that Alagaş had carried out her news articles under the instructions of "the terrorist organization," referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Alagaş was accused by the prosecutor of "shaping violence and blaming the state" with her news articles.

The prosecutor demanded a prison sentence ranging from 7.5 to 15 years for Alagaş.

In February 2023, the US-based think tank Freedom House classified Alagaş as a "political prisoner" in its campaign for imprisoned human rights defenders and journalists worldwide. (HA/VK)