January 28, 2025 - Turkiye, Diyarbakır

Journalist and Siirt Municipality Co-Mayor Sofya Alağaş has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization."

Alağaş condemned the verdict, calling it an attack on the Kurdish will and an expression of state hostility towards Kurds.

She was arrested in 2022, along with 15 other journalists, under allegations “PKK ( The Kurdistan Workers' Party) journalism." The charges stemmed from her work with JIN News, which authorities claim promoted "sympathy" for terrorist organization PKK.

Journalists and politicians representing Kurdish communities are increasingly targeted, with accusations of ties to banned groups. Since 2019, our data shows that 78% of journalists charged with terror-related offenses in Turkiye were working for Kurdish media or reporting on Kurdish issues and politics. This has resulted in a chilling effect on freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the sentencing of Sofya Alağaş. Journalism is not terrorism, and her unjust conviction must be overturned. We call on the international community, especially the EU and the United States, to urgently denounce this ruling and condemn the persecution of Kurdish journalists by Turkish authorities. We also urge the appeals court to immediately reverse Alağaş’ conviction, allowing her to work free from harassment and intimidation.