- Journalist Öznur Değer, against whom 5 lawsuits and 6 investigations have been initiated due to her professional activities, said, “Every journalist whose pen is turned toward truth is squeezed in a clamp of pressure the moment they step outside the drawn boundaries.”
Medine Mamedoğlu
Diyarbakır – As judicial harassment targeting journalists becomes systematic, three journalists were arrested and an investigation was launched against another in just the past week. In a raid on ETHA (Etkin News Agency), journalists Nadiye Gürbüz, Pınar Gayıp, and Elif Bayburt were arrested. According to a report by the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), 14 journalists were detained in January alone.
One of the journalists who has been subjected to multiple investigations and lawsuits due to her journalism is Öznur Değer, News Director of JinNews Women’s News Agency. Based on the news stories and photographs she has produced during her six years in journalism, Değer now faces five lawsuits and, with the most recent one, a total of six investigations. She will appear before the judge in two hearings next week. During this process, Değer has been arrested twice for her professional work and spent a total of 12 months in pre-trial detention. The 9 years, 7 months, and 15 days prison sentence handed down in two of the concluded cases is currently pending at the Court of Appeal.
Every photo I took and every word I said has come back to me as a lawsuit!
Speaking to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Öznur Değer commented that state policies insisting on deadlock target the free press advocating peace journalism. Stating that she has long faced judicial and police pressure due to her professional activities, journalist Öznur Değer said that journalism is seen as “intolerable” by the system, especially when it concerns Kurds and women.
Değer stated that the press, as the strongest carrier of diverse identities, voices, and the search for truth, is therefore being targeted: “Every journalist whose pen is turned toward truth and lens toward facts is immediately caught in a clamp of pressure the moment they step outside the drawn boundaries. Especially if you are a woman and you've been caught in that radar once, it's almost impossible to get out of it. The investigations and lawsuits filed are the clearest example of this. Every photo I take and every word I say comes back to me as an investigation. This situation is actually the most concrete example of the barriers placed in front of journalism,” she said.
The public must defend its right to access news!
Stating that she has been detained many times during her six years in journalism, Değer described her experience in the following words:
“I’ve been detained at least five times, and five lawsuits have been filed against me. In total, I have received 9 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison sentences, and I still have at least six ongoing investigations. This is not just my story; it’s the shared story of everyone insisting on Free Press and peace journalism. What they cannot subdue with pressure, they try to wear down and neutralize through psychological warfare tactics. These investigations and lawsuits aim to prevent journalists from reporting and the public from receiving news. The recent wave of social media censorship clearly shows this. In the face of these blockages, the public also needs to defend its right to access news and stand in solidarity with journalists.”
We will cling to journalism even more tightly!
Drawing attention to the continued pressure on the press even during a time when “Peace and Democratic Society” discussions are taking place in the country, Değer said this was a direct intervention against building a democratic and communal society. Emphasizing that she will not step back despite all the pressure, Öznur Değer concluded her words as follows:
“Free Press was born through resistance; it is an invincible and untameable tradition. As a woman journalist who has taken it as a principle to carry on this spirit, I can only respond to the clamp of police and judiciary with a stronger pen and an even firmer grip on journalism.”
The six investigations opened against Değer are as follows:
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On September 1, 2021, an investigation was launched on the charge of “inciting hatred and enmity among the public” based on her reporting about the Dedeoğulları massacre.
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On July 20, 2022, another investigation was launched on the charge of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” based on Newroz photographs she took and photos from the 6th Ordinary Congress of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
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On May 28, 2023, while covering the second round of the presidential elections, Değer was targeted by the bodyguard and advisor of AKP MP Faruk Kılıç at a school in the Kızıltepe district of Mardin, and her filming was obstructed. The Kızıltepe Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against her on charges of “resisting to prevent an official from performing their duty,” “insult,” and “unlawfully obtaining or disseminating personal data.” A decision of non-prosecution was later issued in this case.
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On October 24, 2025, the Van Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against her on the charge of “publicly disseminating misleading information” based on her reporting on Rojin Kabaiş.
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On October 15, 2025, the Kızıltepe Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on the charge of “resisting a public official” based on her reaction to police violence during a raid on her house on February 7, 2025.
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Most recently, on February 3, 2026, the Van Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a new investigation against her on the charge of “inciting or insulting the public to hatred and enmity” based on photos she took during a protest march held in Van on January 29 against attacks on Rojava.
