Prosecutor’s office appeals against Melis Alphan’s acquittal

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In the trial of journalist Melis Alphan for posting a photo that she took during the Newroz celebrations in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır in 2015, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has appealed against her acquittal dated May 2021.

The Prosecutor's Office has lodged an appeal against the ruling of acquittal given by the İstanbul 32nd Heavy Penal Court on May 21, 2021. The Office has applied to the Regional Court of Justice.

On July 13, it will be decided whether Melis Alphan will stand retrial on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization".

What happened?

A lawsuit has been filed against journalist Melis Alphan on the grounds that she posted a photo from the Newroz celebrations in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır in 2015.

The journalist is now charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" because "the flag of the organization was seen in the picture." Alphan faces up to 7 years, 6 months in prison on the offense charged.

As the indictment of the prosecutor's office has been accepted by the court, Alphan is standing trial at the İstanbul 32nd Heavy Penal Court.

Making a statement about the issue, Alphan noted that the lawsuits filed against journalists are an attempt to silence them:

"The aim is to silence. But when I am told to stay silent, I cannot help speaking out of spite, this is who I am. Do you think I would care even if you imprisoned me? May whoever fears you be just like you."

At the first hearing on April 6, 2021, Alphan rejected all accusations and stated that the photo in question with the caption "Happy Newroz" in Kurdish was from an official Newroz celebration in Diyarbakır, which was aired on all television channels, including the state broadcaster TRT.

While Alphan requested her acquittal, the prosecutor pronounced the opinion as to the accusations and demanded that Alphan be penalized. Alphan was acquitted of the offense charged at the final hearing. (HA/SD)