Reporter Arrested for Posting on Social Media About Two Kurdish Journalists Killed in Turkish Drone Attack
Turkey: JINNEWS reporter Öznur Değer has been arrested for posting on social media about two Kurdish journalists killed in a drone strike in northern Syria. According to media reports, police forcibly entered the journalist's home in the Kiziltepe district of Mardin province on Friday morning and took her into custody.
According to the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency, special operations officers broke down the door of journalist Öznur Değer's home, tied both her hands behind her back and beat her before taking her to a police vehicle.
Officers also seized Öznur Değer's electronics equipment during a search of her home before taking her to the police department for questioning.
Following questioning, Değer was taken to court, where prosecutors accused her of “spreading terrorist propaganda” for posting about the deaths of Cihan Bilgin and Nazim Dastan, two Kurdish journalists killed in a Turkish drone strike in December.
Öznur Değer denilen gereksiz tutuklandı. pic.twitter.com/bC0LjAN1Pq
— BERK (@berkhankhan) February 7, 2025
A criminal court ordered Öznur Değer’s arrest, and she was sent to Mardin E-Type Closed Prison.
When Değer was led out of the courtroom, she shouted, “The free press cannot be silenced,” according to reports. Before she could say anything more, officers taped her mouth shut to prevent further protest.
The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), a Kurdish press freedom organization, condemned Öznur Değer’s arrest, calling it politically motivated. "The truth will not be suppressed by detaining and imprisoning journalists. The charges against Oznur Değer are baseless and unacceptable," the DFG said in a statement.
The arrest of journalist Değer is part of an ongoing government crackdown against Kurdish journalists, activists and politicians. On Friday, authorities also detained Ali Baris Kurt, a journalist whose prison sentence for his reporting was recently upheld by Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals.
The arrests come amid renewed but unclear peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies. While the government claims to have resolved the decades-long conflict, critics argue the government's repression of Kurdish voices belies these claims.
Media freedom advocates say the arrests are aimed at stifling independent reporting on Kurdish issues and military operations in Syria. The Turkish government has stepped up its crackdown on pro-Kurdish media in recent years. Access to news outlets has been blocked and journalists are being arrested on charges of terrorism.
