Kurdish journalist continuously legally harassed by the Diyarbakır prosecutor

Location: Turkiye, Diyarbakır

Date: April 16, 2024

Women Press Freedom expresses profound dismay at the relentless pursuit of journalist Ayşe Kara by the Diyarbakır prosecutor, who has gone to unjustifiable lengths to harass her. This unwarranted harassment has escalated to a retrial following her previous acquittal on charges of "membership of a terrorist organization." The new allegations accuse the journalist of having terrorist affiliations, purportedly due to her associations with pro-Kurdish groups such as the Free Journalists' Association (ÖGC), Free Women’s Congress (KJA), and the Democratic Society Congress, a pro-Kurdish non-profit. We adamantly call for an end to this persecution; associating with Kurdish organizations or being involved in Kurdish media does not equate to membership in terrorist groups. The unjust targeting of journalists affiliated with Kurdish outlets must stop. We yet again demand for Kara to be acquitted.

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At the first hearing of her retrial at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on April 16, 2024, journalist Ayşe Kara once again faced terrorism charges related to a 2020 investigation.

Kara was absent from court and was represented by her lawyer, Resul Temur. When asked about her whereabouts, Temur said she was abroad and promised to provide her location for future testimony. 

In its interim decision, the court ordered the investigation file against Kara to be obtained from the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The court also instructed the Diyarbakır Counterterrorism Branch to investigate whether Kara had a code name and attended meetings and demonstrations at the direction of an organization. The court postponed the trial until July 16, 2024, for the completion of missing details in the case file.

Kara was first arrested on June 27, 2020, as part of an investigation into the pro-Kurdish nonprofit Democratic Society Congress (DTK). She faced terrorism charges due to her affiliation with the Free Journalists' Association (ÖGC), which disbanded during the State of Emergency in 2016. Kara was released with a travel ban.

During her second hearing, the prosecutor sought Kara's conviction for "being affiliated with a terrorist organization" and "spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization," citing her connections with the DTK, ÖGC, and Free Women's Congress (KJA) as evidence. Kara's lawyer argued against the bias and lack of evidence regarding DTK's involvement. In November 2021, Kara was acquitted.

In January 2024, the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Justice overturned Kara's acquittal, leading to a retrial.

Women Press Freedom denounces the continuing legal harassment of Ayşe Kara and the bogus terror charges she is facing for a second time. Turkish prosecutors are persistently pursuing nonsense extremism cases involving journalists from Kurdish outlets, frequently they are imprisoned or detained for prolonged periods while their trials are ongoing. This is not an exercise in justice but an example of the systemic persecution of the Kurdish press. Journalists are not terrorists, and working for outlets that serve the Kurdish communities or report in the Kurdish language should justify serious terror-related charges against a journalist. We call for transparency in the legal proceedings against Kara and demand her second acquittal.

There must be an end to the relentless targeting of the Kurdish press and their journalists by Turkish authorities.

Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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