Nedim Türfent

Nedim Türfent is a Kurdish journalist from Turkey who worked as a correspondent for Dicle News Agency (DIHA) in the South East of Turkey. He was arrested on May 12, 2016, and charged with "membership in a terrorist organisation" under the Anti-Terror Law of Turkey. He remains in prison.[1]

Nedim Türfent
Born
Yüksekova, Turkey
NationalityTurkish, Kurdish
Occupation(s)Journalist, poet
Known forJournalist for Dicle News Agency, imprisoned journalist in Turkey.

Türfent is from Yüksekova in the far East of Turkey. He was jailed after the shuttering of Dicle News Agency in 2016, was detained without charge for the first 13 months of his imprisonment.[2] Following this, he was charged with being a member of the banned Kurdish militia, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Witnesses who gave evidence against Türfent later stated that they had been deposed under torture, and the prosecution also relied on anonymous testimony.[3][4] Türfent claimed at his trial that he was being persecuted as a result of his reporting, in particular a story called "You will see the power of Turks", which criticised the Turkish police and military authorities.[3] He was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison.[5] On 10 October 2019, Türfent's sentence was upheld by Turkey's Court of Cassation.[6]

Nedim Türfent poster at Free Word Centre

Türfent is also a poet, and his case has been taken up by organisations like PEN International and the Irish arm of The Freedom to Write Campaign.[7][8] On the 1000th day of his arrest, International Press Institute (IPI), PEN International and Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) wote a letter to Türfent, saying, "We write to you today to tell you that you are not alone. We are with you and united our voices to demand your release."[9] He was released in November 2022.[4]

References
  1. "Case List 2019" (PDF). PEN International. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2020.
  2. "Jailed journalist Nedim Türfent pays a heavy price". Ahval. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  3. "Journalist Türfent Not Released Although Witnesses Report Forced Depositions". Bianet. 2 November 2017.
  4. "Journalist Nedim Türfent released after six and a half years in prison". Bianet. 29 November 2022.
  5. "Turkey: Free Nedim Türfent". PEN International. 17 December 2018.
  6. "Turkey: Editor Nedim Türfent's prison sentence upheld". PEN International. 10 October 2019.
  7. "'Don't let your ink run out, neither your hope' - Irish poets giving voice to imprisoned writers from across the world". Independent.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. "Hounded writers tell of their woes". The East African. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  9. "3 Freedom of Expression Organizations Pen Letter for Arrested Journalist Türfent". Bianet. 5 February 2019.
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