Writer Nurcan Kaya given deferred prison sentence for 2014 tweet

Photo: Nurcan Kaya/Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Human rights advocate and writer Nurcan Kaya has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for an 2014 tweet about the battle against ISIS in Kobanî, a Kurdish town in northern Syria.

"Not only the Kurds but all people who live there are resisting," she had written on Twitter.

At the previous hearing on June 9, the prosecutor's office demanded a prison sentence of up to five years for "propagandizing for an illegal organization.

"Defending peace is not a crime"

Kaya, her attorney Veysel Ok and Diyarbakır Bar Chair Nahit Eren were present in today's final hearing at the Diyarbakır 9th Heavy Penal Court.

Making a statement against the prosecutor's opinion, Kaya said she wouldn't make a defense but explain what had happened.

She said that she stood trial because her social media posts as a human rights advocate annoyed the government. Her posts were within freedom of expression and they were quotations from the meetings she had attended, she noted.

Turkey has changed its position since the end of the "peace process" in the Kurdish question, but she wouldn't take a stand accordingly, said Kaya.

"Defending peace is not a crime. I'll continue to say peace against war. It is obvious that the reason I'm here today is not organization propaganda," she remarked.

Concluding her statement, Kaya said, "Your decision will determine whether it is a crime to write articles for preventing rights violations and demanding peace."

"No evidence"

Attorney Ok said the prosecutor's office had launched an ex officio investigation and charged his client over a few tweets picked among thousands she had posted since 2014

Since it was not possible for the prosecutor to examine all posts, the attorney argued, the indictment was based on posts that include the words "Nurcan Kaya," "Kobanî," "Kürt" and "organization."

"This is an indication of the ill-intention of the security officials. The prosecutor has not submitted evidence," Ok remarked.

His client stood trial because she "brings what happens in Diyarbakır to Turkey's west," said the attorney

"There is a Court of Cassation ruling regarding the evaluation of the context of the period, when the tweet dated 2014 that is subject to allegations," he noted. "It should be looked at what the politics and law said about Kobanî in 2014."

"How can tweeting against a terrorist organization that the entire world sees as villains can be considered 'organization propaganda'?" he asked.

After a brief break following Ok's statement, the court sentenced Kaya to 1 years and 3 months in prison for "propagandizing for an illegal organization" and deferred the announcement of the verdict.

The detailed ruling will be issued later. (HA/VK)