Journalist Rabia Önver denied opportunity to give statement after police raid
Journalist Rabia Önver, a reporter for JINNEWS in Yüksekova, Hakkâri, attempted to give a statement at the courthouse after a police raid on her home over the weekend, but the prosecutor declined to take her statement. The raid, conducted on September 20, was reportedly linked to a report by Önver on sex work and drug trafficking in the region, leading to an investigation under the “Censorship Law” for "publicly spreading misleading information."
Accompanied by her lawyer Azad Özer and fellow journalists, Önver went to the Hakkâri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the morning of September 23. Despite an initial claim of a detention order, a check of the General Information System (GBT) showed no arrest warrant. However, the prosecutor declined to take her statement and indicated that no further action regarding arrest or detention would be taken at this stage.
Speaking outside the courthouse, lawyer Azad Özer confirmed that the prosecution would not take a statement but may reach out if necessary in the future.
Önver: ‘We will continue to defend journalism’
In her own statement, Rabia Önver expressed concern over the raid on her family home, noting that the actions appeared to aim at curtailing journalistic work. "Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to defend our profession and reveal the truth," she said.
