A new lawsuit has been filed against Kurdish journalist Öznur Değer. The prosecutor’s office in Kızıltepe district of Mardin accuses the news director of the all-female news agency Jin News of, among other things, “resisting an officer in the execution of duty” and “insult.” The indictment has been accepted by the competent criminal court. The first hearing is scheduled for July 14.
The charges are related to a police operation in February 2025, during which Değer was detained in her home. According to her statements, she protested against her treatment during the detention as well as the treatment of her family.
At the time, there were reports of ill-treatment during the detention and psychological pressure on relatives. The indictment now targets Değer for her reaction to the operation. Değer’s mother and sister have also been charged in connection with the incident. They are likewise accused of “resisting an officer in the execution of duty.”
Öznur Değer has been in the focus of Turkish repression authorities for years. In October, she was sentenced by a court in Mardin to three and a half years in prison on charges of “terror propaganda.” The basis for the conviction was Değer’s reporting and her social media posts regarding a deadly drone strike by the Turkish army in Rojava at the end of 2024, in which journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were killed.
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