Amed (Diyarbakır)- The seventh hearing of the trial against Sofya Alağaş, Co-mayor of Siirt and former editor of Jinnews, was held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Sofya Alağaş did not attend the hearing while her lawyers Resul Tamur and Pirozhan Karali Güler were present at the hearing. The hearing was monitored by council members of Siirt, Co-mayors of Siirt’s districts, representatives of the Mesopotamia Women Journalists’ Association (Turkish:  Mezopotamya Kadın Gazeteciler Derneği, MKG), the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), the Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (DFG), the members of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the Amed Bar Association and the Siirt Bar Association and DEM Party MPs.

The lawyers of Sofya Alağaş requested the release of their client; however, the court sentenced her to six years and three months in prison on charges of “membership in an illegal organization” for her journalistic activities.

Sofya Alağaş was detained on June 16, 2022, along with 16 other journalists. The arrests followed an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, accusing Sofya Alağaş of “membership in an illegal organization”.

Sofya Alağaş was elected as co-mayor of Siirt in the local elections held in Türkiye on March 31, 2024.