By Our Reporter
In response to Turkish
authorities’ sentencing of
two journalists on charges
of spreading terrorist propaganda
Tuesday, the Committee to Protect
Journalists issued the following
statement of condemnation:
“By issuing prison sentences to
Mehmet Güleş and İsmail Çoban,
Turkish authorities have yet again
abused the country’s anti-terror
legislation,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s
Turkey representative. “Authorities
should not contest the journalists’
appeals and should cease their
practice of retaliatory prosecutions
against members of the media
covering Kurdish issues.”
On Tuesday, April 18, local media
outlets reported that two courts in
eastern Turkey separately found
Mehmet Güleş and İsmail Çoban
guilty of making propaganda for the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), which Turkey considers a
terrorist organization. Both journalists
pleaded not guilty.
The Second Elazığ Court of Serious
Crimes sentenced Güleş, a reporter
for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya
News Agency, to 21 months and 25
days in prison, but then delayed the
enforcement of that sentence, reports
said. During his trial, authorities’
evidence included news stories Güleş
shared on social media by his former
employer, the shuttered pro-Kurdish
Dicle News Agency.
Separately, the Fifth Diyarbakır
Court of Serious Crimes sentenced
Çoban, the former responsible news
editor for the shuttered Kurdishlanguage outlet Azadiya Welat, to
18 months and 22 days in prison,
and did not delay the execution of
that sentence, reports said. During
his trial, authorities presented news
stories by Azadiya Welat about the
PKK as evidence.
Çoban has been imprisoned since
2018 on other terror-related charges
related to his work.
Resul Temur, a lawyer who
represents both Güleş and Çoban,
told CPJ via messaging app that he
believed the journalists were being
punished for their work, and said
they intend to appeal the verdicts. CPJ
emailed the chief prosecutor’s offices
of Diyarbakır and Elazığ for comment
but did not receive any replies.
