Journalist Nurcan Yalçın faces up to 15 years in prison

* News and photo: Jinnews

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As part of an investigation launched against the Rosa Women's Association in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır, the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has lodged an indictment against journalist Nurcan Yalçın and demanded that the journalist be sentenced to 10 years to 15 years in prison on charges of "membership of the organization" and "propagandizing for the organization."

The prosecutor has referred to Yalçın's membership of the Rosa Women's Association and an anonymous witness statement as criminal evidence.

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Indictment based on anonymous witness statement

As reported by Jinnews website, the indictment of the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has referred to the statement of an anonymous witness named "ZS35SN58UV52PG10". In his or her statement to the Counterterrorism Bureau of the Diyarbakır Provincial Directorate of Security on June 19, the anonymous witness said:

"I know that this person is a journalist and works in an agency that reports news about the organization in its favor. She is one of the persons working for the KJA, which served the organization and was closed by the state due to those services, and for the TJA and Rosa Women's Association, which also serve the organization. This person fulfils the instructions of the KJA, TJA and Rosa, thereby serving the organization.

"I know that she takes part in the administration of the association named Rosa and she is one of its senior officers. This person is propagandizing for the organization through pro-organization press and media outlets."

Yalçın did not accept the allegations

Giving her statement to the prosecutor's office, Yalçın has said that she does not accept the allegations of the anonymous witness.

The journalist is now facing 10 years to 15 years in prison on charges of "being a member of the organization" and "propagandizing for the organization" over anonymous witness statements, her membership of the Rosa Women's Association and social media posts. (EMK/SD)