October 14, 2024 - Turkiye, Diyarbakır

An investigation has been launched against Öznur Değer, news director of Kurdish outlet JIN News, after she reported on torture by Commander Kamil Aksoy in Nisêbîn. Accused of “targeting a person on duty in the fight against terrorism,” Değer asserts her findings were based on eyewitness accounts. Bogus terror-related charges are frequently used to target journalists, especially those from Kurdish media.

Our data shows that 54% of legal cases against women journalists in Turkiye since 2019 involve accusations of terrorism. Alarmingly, 78% of all terror-related legal harassment against women journalists targeted Kurdish journalists or those working for the Kurdish press.

Women Press Freedom stands in solidarity with Değer and demands an end to this judicial harassment. This baseless investigation must be dropped.