The imprisonment of Öznur Değer, a Kurdish journalist with JINNEWS, has become a stark reminder of the ongoing state persecution of journalists in Türkiye. Değer, who was detained in Ankara on May 13, 2024, continues to be held in Sincan Women’s Closed Prison despite widespread calls for her release from human rights and press freedom organizations.
Değer was arrested alongside another journalist, Büşra Erdal, and charged under Türkiye’s sweeping anti-terror laws. Authorities accused her of “membership in a terrorist organization,” a charge commonly leveled against Kurdish reporters and media workers critical of the government. The arrest is seen by many as part of a broader campaign by the Turkish state to silence independent voices and suppress coverage of Kurdish issues, gender-based violence, and human rights violations.
As a reporter for JINNEWS, a women-led Kurdish news agency, Değer was known for her coverage of women’s rights and the experiences of marginalized communities in Türkiye. According to Women in Journalism and ANF English, she has faced repeated state harassment for her work, including surveillance, detentions, and threats.
Since her arrest, Değer has been held without a trial. Observers have criticized the lack of transparency in the legal proceedings and the absence of any substantial evidence presented to justify her continued detention. Legal advocates argue that her arrest is politically motivated and violates both Turkish constitutional protections and international standards on press freedom.
Human rights groups have demanded her immediate release, warning that her case reflects a dangerous erosion of democratic freedoms in Türkiye. The crackdown on journalists, particularly Kurdish, female, and leftist reporters, has intensified in recent years, with dozens currently imprisoned and many media outlets shuttered.
Öznur Değer’s continued detention has become emblematic of the shrinking space for dissent in Türkiye. Her supporters stress that journalism is not a crime and are urging the international community to pressure Turkish authorities to end the criminalization of the press and respect the rights of journalists to report without fear of retaliation.
