Medine Mamedoğlu
In the case in which JINNEWS news director Öznur Değer and journalist Osman Akın are tried, the prosecution requested a sentence on a charge of "designating as a target persons who have served in counterterrorism." The case had been opened over a news report about an allegation of torture during a house raid in Nusaybin and a criminal complaint filed against a commander serving in Kızıltepe.
The second hearing in the case in which JINNEWS news director Öznur Değer and Osman Akın, former editorial director of the Yeni Yaşam newspaper, are tried was held at the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court. The prosecution requested that the two journalists be sentenced on a charge of "designating as a target persons who have served in counterterrorism." JINNEWS is a pro-Kurdish women's news agency and Yeni Yaşam a pro-Kurdish daily; Mardin is a province in southeastern Turkey.
While journalists Değer and Akın did not attend the hearing, their lawyers Erdal Kuzu and Berivan Orhan were present in the courtroom.
After the identity check, the prosecution announced its opinion on the merits and requested that the two journalists be punished. The court adjourned the hearing to June 16 at 10 a.m. for the preparation of defense statements.
The case was opened over a news report concerning an allegation of torture during a raid on a home in the rural Marinê neighborhood of the Nusaybin district of Mardin on July 16, 2024. The report had included a criminal complaint filed against Kamil Aksoy, commander of the Kızıltepe Gendarmerie Commando Battalion. Nusaybin and Kızıltepe are predominantly Kurdish districts of Mardin on Turkey's border with Syria.
The indictment prepared by the Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office argued that the report could not be assessed within the scope of press freedom. The indictment was accepted by the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court.
