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July 04, 2025 – Turkey –
International free speech and press freedom organizations have strongly condemned the Turkish government’s decision to issue a new arrest warrant against Kurdish journalist and poet Nedim Türfent. Now living in exile in Germany, Türfent faces renewed persecution under Article 7 of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law, accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization” over several posts on X (formerly Twitter).
The warrant, issued on May 7, 2025, by a prosecutor’s office in Hakkari, was only revealed to Türfent in late June. It cites four social media posts made while he was already in exile—an action many rights groups see as a continuation of Turkey’s long-standing pattern of judicial harassment against critical journalists.
Türfent was previously arrested in 2016 after reporting on the abuse of Kurdish workers by Turkish security forces. He was convicted of terrorism charges based on witness testimonies that were later retracted, with multiple individuals stating they were coerced under torture. He spent more than six years in prison, including two years in solitary confinement, before his release in November 2022.
Now facing potential extradition, Türfent’s situation is increasingly precarious. His German visa is set to expire in August 2025, and if forced to return to Turkey, he could once again face imprisonment under laws widely condemned for being used to silence dissent.
The latest charges have triggered an international outcry. A joint statement signed by over 40 organizations—including PEN International, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders—calls for the immediate withdrawal of the arrest warrant. They assert that Türfent is being criminalized solely for his peaceful journalism and free expression.
This renewed targeting of Türfent has become emblematic of the broader climate of repression in Turkey, where anti-terror legislation is frequently misused to punish dissenting voices. Rights groups warn that if such legal actions continue unchallenged, they will only deepen the culture of fear among journalists and further erode press freedom in the country.
Reference –
https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/43404594;globalSearch=false
