Eylem Sonbahar
An Istanbul court on Tuesday sentenced journalist Necla Demir to 1 year and 13 months in prison for "aiding a terrorist organization" but ordered her release with an international travel ban. Demir had been jailed since January on accusations of "membership in a terrorist organization" over her journalistic work.
The first hearing in Demir’s trial was held at the 23rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul. She had been detained on Jan. 17 during police raids as part of a wider investigation based in Istanbul, and was formally arrested on Jan. 20.
Demir, who was brought to the courtroom from the Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison under gendarmerie escort, defended herself by stating that the case was based entirely on her journalism. "As someone who has been a journalist for 10 years, I reviewed the indictment. What is being prosecuted here is journalism,” she said. Demir works at a production company called Güncel Prodüksiyon, where she hosts a program focused on women's issues.
“I choose the guests and topics, but I can’t control how they interpret those topics. Much of the indictment consists of transcripts from my shows. Those are statements made by guests, not me,” she added.
Addressing claims that her phone records were used as evidence of criminal activity, Demir said, “We call many people during the day. The conversations cited in the wiretaps are standard journalistic interactions with news sources. One part of the indictment highlights the word ‘Kurdistan.’ That term is used as a geographic designation. Its use by me or my guests cannot be considered proof of terrorist organization membership.”
Demir rejected all charges, saying, "As a journalist, I do not accept the accusation," and requested her acquittal and release.
Her lawyer, Şükrü Alpsoy, emphasized that Demir did not work for the media outlet Medya Haber and said the content of her programs did not contain any criminal elements. "Other journalists arrested as part of this same investigation, such as Eylem Babayiğit, were released at their first hearings. It was determined they were not members of any organization. The same should apply here," Alpsoy said, arguing there was no evidence of any organizational activity in any of the recorded calls attributed to Demir.
The prosecutor submitted their final opinion during the hearing, requesting Demir be convicted of “membership in a terrorist organization” and that her detention continue.
However, the court ultimately convicted Demir on the lesser charge of “aiding a terrorist organization” and handed down a prison sentence of 1 year and 13 months. The court also ruled for her release under judicial control, including a ban on leaving the country.
The case has drawn attention from press freedom organizations. Representatives from the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), and the press union DİSK Basın-İş were present at the hearing. Turkey remains one of the countries with the highest number of journalists in prison, and rights groups have long criticized the use of anti-terror laws to target members of the press.
