Eylem Sonbahar
A Turkish court has sentenced journalist Nevşin Mengü to 1 year and 3 months in prison over her interview with former PYD co-chair Salih Muslim. However, the court suspended the sentence.
The second hearing of the trial, in which Mengü was accused of "terrorist propaganda" due to the interview, was held at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court.
"The broadcast falls within the right to access information"
Mengü did not attend the hearing, but her lawyers, Hüseyin Ersöz and Buse Şahin, were present. In response to the prosecutor’s sentencing request, first submitted at the initial hearing on Jan. 24, Ersöz argued that his client had no criminal intent.
"Mengü has been a journalist for many years and is considered one of Turkey's first female war correspondents. She also holds an international press card. A journalist's work on fundamental issues, such as Syria’s reconstruction, falls entirely within the scope of the public's right to access information. There is no criminal element in the interview," he stated.
"A program that aired for only 20 minutes cannot be considered a crime"
Ersöz further defended Mengü’s journalistic approach, pointing out that her questions to Muslim were critical rather than promotional. "The broadcast should be evaluated as journalistic work and within the scope of freedom of expression. Shortly after the interview aired, Mengü received friendly advice from lawyers and fellow journalists to take it down, and she did so within 20 minutes. A program that was only available for such a short time cannot constitute a crime or be considered terrorist propaganda," he said.
He also noted that they had submitted three expert opinions stating that Muslim no longer held the position of co-chair, that the broadcast did not include propaganda, and that it was part of Mengü’s journalistic work.
After a brief recess, the court ruled to convict Mengü of "terrorist propaganda" and sentenced her to 1 year and 3 months in prison. However, the court suspended the sentence, meaning Mengü will not serve jail time unless she commits another offense within a specified period.
Background
Mengü had published her interview with Salih Muslim on her YouTube channel but removed it after 20 minutes. On Dec. 14, she was briefly detained on charges of "praising crime and criminals" and later released with a travel ban. Following the investigation, prosecutors filed an indictment against her for "terrorist propaganda."
