Journalist İdris Sayılğan handed four-year prison sentence for 'terrorist propaganda'

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Journalist İdris Sayılğan, a reporter for Mesopotamia Agency, has been sentenced to four years in prison for "continuously propagandizing for a terrorist organization" in what his attorney called a "repeated trial."

Attorney Erselan Aktay from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) said exactly the same allegations were included in a previous case against Sayılğan, where he was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison for "membership in a terrorist organization" in January 2019, and because of that, the court should dismiss the new indictment.

In both cases, the evidence against Sayılğan comprises his news reports, social media posts and transcriptions of phone conversations between him and his news sources.

Based on this evidence, Sayılğan previously spent 1,137 days behind bars before being released in November 2019. 

While Sayılğan wasn't present at today's (February 1) hearing at the Muş 2nd Heavy Penal Court his attorney attended the hearing via videoconference.

He read out the news articles and social media posts subject to the allegations and said they were in compliance with the legal framework for news writing determined by the Court of Cassation.

"Sayılğan's reports contain all the criteria set by the Court of Cassation. Among these criteria, we would particularly like to remind 'the principle of the public's high interest'," said Aktay.

"The client followed the social incidents that were on the country's agenda and brought them to the public attention in accordance with the cited criteria.

"The social incidents in question were similarly reported on the mainstream media as well. Investigations have not been opened into mainstream media organizations for those reports, and they shouldn't be.

"Similarly, [an investigation] shouldn't have been opened against journalist Sayılğan and the indictment should have been rejected taking into account its repetitive aspects."

Handing down its judgment after the attorney's statement of defense, the court ruled that Sayılğan should be sentenced for "continuous terrorist propaganda."

What happened?

Working for Dicle News Agency (DİHA), İdris Sayılğan was detained on October 24, 2016, following the closure of the newspaper by a statutory decree on "terrorism" allegations.

He was later remanded in custody and sent to Trabzon Prison.

The evidence against Sayılğan comprised his news reports, social media posts and transcriptions of phone conversations between him and his news sources.

On January 25, 2019, the Muş 2nd Heavy Penal Court sentenced him to 8 years and 3 months for "membership in a terrorist organization."

While Sayılğan was in prison, he faced a second indictment, this time for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

After spending 1,137 days, or more than three years, behind bars, he was released on November 27, 2019, after a review of his appeal by the Erzurum Regional Court of Justice 2nd Penal Chamber.

Last March, Sayılğan was detained in Edirne while he was following refugees' crossings to Greece for Mesopotamia Agency.

He was arrested on the same day for "trespassing into a military forbidden zone and was released by the 2nd Penal Chamber one day later. (HA/VK)