Diyarbakir court orders release of 15 Kurdish journalists

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the release of 15 Kurdish journalists who have been jailed in Diyarbakir (Amed) province for more than a year on terror-related charges, reported a pro-Kurdish media outlet. 

The 15 were among 18 journalists whose trial began on Tuesday and was continued on Wednesday when the court found them not guilty and ordered their release after more than 13 months in jail, reported Mezopotamya Agency, the employer of some of the journalists. It is unclear if the judgement also applies to the three journalists who were on trial but not imprisoned.  

Mezopotamya Agency shared a video of the journalists being warmly greeted by family and colleagues on their release.

Tahliye kararı verilen gazeteciler cezaevinden çıkmaya başladı. pic.twitter.com/O4h1pMyj0j

— Mezopotamya Ajansı (@MAturkce) July 12, 2023

Resul Temur, a lawyer representing the journalists, told reporters in front of the courthouse that the ruling made them “proud,” though he condemned the long pre-trial detention. “They [the journalists] declared that they did not back down from their professional activities despite judicial harassment,” he said. 

The ruling can be appealed.

The journalists, who work at several different Kurdish media outlets, were accused of having ties with media affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a non-profit rights organisation that closely follows the case, said on Tuesday that the defendants are accused of “membership in a terrorist organisation,” in reference to the PKK. 

The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated a terrorist organisation by Ankara. 

As part of their defence, the journalists argued they have been targeted as part of state efforts to suppress Kurdish media. 

Global press freedom monitor Reporters Without Borders placed Turkey 165th out of 180 countries on its Press Freedom Index in 2023. The country was 149th on the list the previous year.