Greece: Kurdish Journalist Berçem Mordeniz’s Appeal Rejected, Sentenced to 7 Months for Reporting Police Violence
January 08, 2025 - Greece, Athens
Greek courts have upheld the conviction of Kurdish journalist Berçem Mordeniz, rejecting her appeal and sentencing her to seven months in prison, which was suspended. The case stems from her reporting on police violence. Mordeniz was found guilty of verballing abusing and attacking police officers while documenting an incident of police brutality in 2020, a decision that highlights significant concerns over press freedom in Greece.
Mordeniz’s conviction also includes a mandate to cover legal costs and a tarnished criminal record, all for fulfilling her duty as a journalist. Women Press Freedom denounces Bertsem’s sentencing and calls for the decision to be appealed to the Supreme Court. Journalists should not face criminal charges for performing their professional responsibilities.
On August 8, 2020, Mordeniz and her colleague, journalist Tsagdas Kaplan, witnessed police officers from Greece’s ACTION unit violently assaulting a handcuffed man on a busy Athens street. The officers reportedly continued beating the man even though he could not defend himself.
Mordeniz and Kaplan recorded the incident. Mordeniz described what happened to Women Press Freedom:
“A handcuffed citizen was being beaten in public simply for drawing graffiti at a bus stop. I could not remain silent in the face of such injustice.”
Their actions provoked the officers, who assaulted both journalists, threw Kaplan to the ground, injured Mordeniz, and arrested them. The two were detained overnight without food or water. Mordeniz also reported being spat on by a police officer.
“In cases involving police violence, the outcome is almost always the same: The truth-seekers are criminalized, while the perpetrators go unpunished.”
While Kaplan was acquitted two years ago, Mordeniz was convicted of insulting and attacking the officers. A charge of threatening police officers was dismissed in her latest appeal.
Speaking about the trial, Mordeniz criticized the Greek judicial system. “In cases involving police violence, the outcome is almost always the same: The truth-seekers are criminalized, while the perpetrators go unpunished.”
This case is a frightening example of the danger to journalists who document state violence. It also highlights the additional challenges faced by women journalists, as Mordeniz explained:
“Women journalists pay an even heavier price for exposing the truth. We face harsher intimidation and oppression, both personally and professionally.”
Mordeniz’s defense team, led by Dimitra and Evgenia Lentidakis, condemned the verdict, emphasizing the judicial system’s failure to deliver justice. They told Women Press Freedom that the court showed clear bias in favor of the police, despite the evidence of their misconduct. According to the lawyers, from the beginning, the court seemed skeptical of Mordeniz's credibility as a journalist. This doubt undermines the core of her defense—that she was simply doing her job.
The defense also described an incident where one of the police officers stated he did not want the case to continue or for Mordeniz to be punished. However, when asked about this, the judge immediately responded, preventing the officer from speaking freely. This suggests that the judge was biased and wanted to ensure that Mordeniz would not be acquitted. “The judiciary not only failed to properly perform its duty but also exhibited a clear bias in favor of the accusing police officers,” Dimitra and Evgenia Lentidakis stated. “This is yet another indication of the judiciary’s tendency to protect the position of its agents, even in cases where they have clearly violated the law.”
“This is yet another indication of the judiciary’s tendency to protect the position of its agents, even in cases where they have clearly violated the law”
A History of Threats
Mordeniz’s career as a journalist has placed her at significant risk. Kurdish and born in Turkiye, she fled to Greece as a political refugee after her parents were killed in 1996. Her reporting, often focused on Kurdish issues, has made her a target of Turkish authorities. Due to safety concerns in Greece stemming from Turkiye, she relocated to Switzerland, where she continues her work as a journalist.
Women Press Freedom denounces the Greek court’s decision and stands in solidarity with Berçem Mordeniz. This ruling not only punishes a journalist for doing her job but also sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Greece.
We call on Greek authorities to overturn this unjust conviction and ensure the safety and rights of all journalists.
