Türkiye: CFWIJ Welcomes Release Of Jinnews Editor-In-Chief Safiye Alagaş
Safiye Alagaş was charged with “membership of a terrorist organization” for publishing news on PKK
Location: Türkiye, Diyarbakır
Date: June 15, 2023Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
CFWIJ appreciates the court’s decision to release Jinnews’ Safiye Alagaş, who has been one of the 26 Kurdish women journalists targeted by authorities in 2022 for their work. Alagaş release — which follows the acquittal of Derya Saadet and the travel ban lift of Sibel Tekin on June 8th — is a win for press freedom in the country. CFWIJ urges the courts to continue this effort and release the remaining imprisoned journalists.
Alagaş, editor-in-chief of the Kurdish all-women newsroom, was detained in Diyarbakır on June 8, 2022. Twenty other journalists, including six women, were detained during the same police raid. Sixteen, including Safiye, were charged with "membership in a terrorist organization" a week later.
The prosecutor argued news articles published by the newsroom reporting on Abdullah Öcalan — the leader of PKK, a designated terrorist organization by authorities — constituted to the editor-in-chief being a member of the PKK.
Alagaş emphasized during the first hearing, held in Diyarbakır, she had merely reported the news and doing so impartially. She highlighted that journalists who report truthfully in Turkey are frequently labeled “terrorists.”
Alagaş's lawyer, Resul Temur, who welcomed his client’s release, said the ideological and systematic pressure on Kurdish journalists is worrisome.
The court ruled to release Alagaş with a travel ban and under judicial control measures. The next hearing will take place November 9, 2023.
An alarming 71% of the women journalists who CFWIJ document authorities detained in Tukey since 2020 are Kurdish. Nearly half of the women journalists imprisoned in Turkey are also Kurdish — a staggering 46%.
The situation raises serious questions about the treatment of Kurdish women journalists in Turkey — especially as Kurds historically face discrimination and oppression in Turkey — and should be cause for alarm among those who value freedom of the press and human rights.
“We face censorship, bans, violence, judicial harassment, and arrests”
"Violence against Kurdish journalists has been increasing in Turkey. Kurdish female journalists feel this pressure twice as much,” Kurdish journalist Habibe Eren told CFWIJ. Eren was released on May 16 after spending almost seven months in prison. “We face censorship, bans, violence, judicial harassment, and arrests," she tells CFWIJ.
Besides being targeted for their work, they are also subjected to violence and threats while imprisoned. Although authorities deny these allegations, Eren told CFWIJ she was reversed handcuffed, subjected to a strip search, and physically assaulted.
Release of Alagaş offers hope
CFWIJ welcomes the decision to release Alagaş. It is an important step towards ensuring press freedom and protecting the rights of journalists. We urge the courts to continue this effort. CFWIJ is committed to following up on all ongoing and pending cases of women journalists facing imprisonment in Turkey. We must continue to remember the women journalists who are still unjustly behind bars, especially those who are targeted due to their ethnic backgrounds. We call on authorities for their immediate release.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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