CFWIJ data from the last four years reveals nearly 70% of targeted women journalists in Turkey are Kurdish

Location: Türkiye, Istanbul
Date: September 14, 2023

Journalist Rojin Altay sentenced to 1 year and 3 months after a Turkish court deems her guilty of "disseminating terrorist propaganda." The Coalition For Women In Journalism continuously monitors the organized legal harassment of Kurdish women journalists in the country. Altay is the latest victim of the authorities' witch hunt. We strongly condemn the arbitrary detentions and call for the court to overturn this sentence.

"Rojin is a diligent and aspiring journalist. It is unacceptable that she was imprisoned solely for sharing a post on her social media account,” Habibe Eren, editor at Jinnews, tells CFWIJ. “This is a clear indication of injustice. Pressure on Kurdish journalists by the judiciary must end."

On September 14, the court issued a suspended 15-month sentence to Rojin Altay, a journalist with Yeni Yaşam, on charges of spreading terrorist propaganda through her social media posts. The Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court delivered the verdict during the sole hearing of her trial.

Altay was detained at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport in January of 2023 and later indicted with being a member of a terrorist organization and disseminating terrorist propaganda for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classified as a terrorist group in Türkiye.

Turkey, third on the list of countries with most imprisoned women journalists as documented by CFWIJ, systematically charges Kurdish journalists with acts of terrorism. Authorities provide the journalists’ coverage of Kurdish issues, challenges faced by Kurds, or the activities of the PKK, as evidence of the “crime.”   

Data from the last four years reveals that a significant majority (60 to 80%) of targeted women journalists in Turkey are of Kurdish descent. These journalists often face baseless accusations of being affiliated with the PKK solely because they report on their community or use their native language.

“It's been five years, CFWIJ has raised the issue with the crackdown against Kurdish journalists,” says CFWIJ’s founding director Kiran Nazish. “This particular stifling of Kurdish voices has been ignored in the mainstream, leading to an even greater number of journalists behind bars.”

The post that led to Altay's prosecution was a retweet of a photo depicting Sakine Cansız, one of the PKK's founders who was killed alongside two other Kurdish women at a cultural center in Paris in 2013. The post included the statement, "Resistance is life."

While Altay's sentence has been suspended due to her "good conduct," she will face significant limitations in her work as a journalist. Any posts or reports on topics deemed controversial or extremist by Turkish authorities may result in immediate imprisonment or further legal harassment. This curtailment of Altay's journalistic activities is another attempt to silence Kurdish voices.

Sadly, this is not the first time Altay has faced persecution from authorities. In 2022, she was detained during a protest, physically assaulted, and charged with participating in a banned demonstration. She was later acquitted.

Top Press Freedom Violations in Turkey | Jan-July

The Coalition For Women In Journalism urgently calls on the Istanbul High Criminal Court to overturn the unjust sentencing of Rojin Altay. Although she is not required to serve time in prison, the implications of this verdict severely hamper her ability to cover Kurdish issues as a journalist. It is crucial for the court to address this injustice, end the harassment of Altay, and allow her to continue her work.

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.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.