News Center- On February 8, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office indicted 10 journalists, nine of whom have been under pretrial arrest since late October, on the charge of membership in a terrorist organization. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on February 22 reacting to the charges against the journalists.

“Turkish authorities’ recent indictment of 10 journalists on terrorism charges is the latest in a long string of prosecutions of members of the press in retaliation for their reporting,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, in New York. “The authorities should drop the charges, release all journalists imprisoned for their work, and put an end to equating journalism with terrorism.”

Mezopotamya News Agency editor Diren Yurtsever, Mezopotamya reporters Berivan Altan, Ceylan Şahinli, Deniz Nazlım, Emrullah Acar, Hakan Yalçın, Salman Güzelyüz, and Zemo Ağgöz Yiğitsoy, freelance journalist Öznur Değer, JİNNEWS reporter Ümmü Habibe Eren and former Mezopotamya reporting intern Mehmet Günhan were arrested on October 31, 2022. After three months, an indictment was prepared against them by the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office on the charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

The prosecutors alleged that Mezopotamya and JİNNEWS are directly linked to the PKK, including having financial ties, and cited more than 100 news stories about the outlawed group as evidence. Other evidence used against the journalists included tapped phone calls, travel records, printed and digital material found at their homes and workplaces, social media posts, small financial transfers, and the testimony of a secret witness. The journalists face up to 15 years in prison.

 

According to the statement released by the CPJ, CPJ emailed the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office and the Justice Ministry for comment but received no immediate reply.