The Ankara 4th Heavy Penal Court has issued a detailed ruling on the six-year and three-month prison sentences handed down to several journalists from the Mezopotamya Agency (MA). The court accused the journalists of "membership in an armed terrorist organization," referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), based on their work and social media activities.
The journalists affected by the ruling include Selman Güzelyüz, Berivan Altan, Diren Yurtsever, Hakan Yalçın, Emrullah Acar, Zemo Ağgöz, and Deniz Nazlım. The court's decision revealed that the sentences were grounded on allegations that their reporting created a favorable perception of the PKK and its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan.
Eight Kurdish journalists sentenced in ‘terror’ case
The court argued that the journalists' activities, such as financial transactions among themselves, reports on solitary confinement, social media posts, books and magazines seized during police raids, and reports from the Human Rights Association (İHD) on ill prisoners, constituted criminal behavior.
According to the court, the journalists aimed to recruit armed members for the PKK, maintain the motivation of PKK sympathizers, suggest that Abdullah Öcalan's imprisonment conditions were illegal, imply that the Turkish state mistreats Kurdish citizens, and create a perception that the Turkish Armed Forces use chemical weapons.
A witness, Hüseyin Durudeniz, testified that he was unsure if Mezopotamya Agency had connections with the PKK, but said that if it did, it should be closed down. The court took this statement as evidence against the journalists.
The court ignored testimonies from other witnesses and did not apply the principle of ‘benefit of the doubt’ for the defendants.
While convicting the seven journalists, the court had acquitted three others due to a lack of sufficient evidence. (HA/VK)
