Turkiye: Rojin Akın Acquitted in “Membership of a Terrorist Organization” Case
Women Press Freedom welcomes conclusion of 7-year-long trial
Location: Turkiye, IstanbulDate: April 3, 2024
Rojin Akın has been finally vindicated of “membership of a terrorist organization” charges. Alongside fellow journalist Emrah Erdoğan, Akın faced accusations of affiliation with a terrorist group due to their coverage of the Syrian conflict in 2015. While the trial against Erdoğan continues, the acquittal of Rojin Akın is a positive step, recognizing the injustice of associating her reporting with terrorism. We call for Erdoğan's exoneration and urge Turkish authorities to cease prosecuting journalists under terror-related charges for their reporting.
After a seven-year legal battle, Rojin Akın was acquitted of terrorism charges on April 3, 2024 for her reporting on the frontlines in Syria.
In 2015, journalists Rojin Akın and Emrah Erdoğan ventured into Rojava, Syria, to cover conflict in the region. Akın specifically focused on documenting the plight of Yazidi women kidnapped by ISIS, while Erdoğan was on assignment for ETHA news. Both journalists had accreditation and permission to report in the region.
Prosecutors claimed, based on their interviews, photos, and social media posts from the time, that their reporting activities in Rojava implicated them as members of a terrorist organization.
During the third hearing at the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on April 3, the prosecutor repeated the accusations against the journalists, pushing for their punishment.
Akın’s lawyer argued the trial had been unfairly long, spanning seven years. She presented evidence, including social media posts, news articles, and books, showing Akın was a journalist. She reiterated that Akın, like numerous other journalists at the time, had traveled to Rojava for professional purposes.
After deliberation, the court acquitted Rojin Akın due to a lack of substantial evidence against the journalist. Emrah Erdoğan's charges were separated and legal proceedings against him are ongoing.
The verdict represents a long-awaited resolution to Rojin Akın's legal struggle against baseless allegations. While Women Press Freedom celebrates her acquittal, we cannot overlook the concerning pattern of terror-related charges levied against journalists in Turkiye for their reporting. Authorities must end the unjust practice of criminalizing journalists' work by unjustly accusing them of terrorism, particularly in their coverage of Kurdish communities both within Syria and Turkiye. We urge the court to swiftly acquit Emrah Erdoğan and other journalists facing similar charges. Reporting on a conflict should not be labeled as terrorism.
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