Journalists from Kurdish media outlets Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) and all women-based news agency Jin News have been sent to prison by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor in Turkey, reports MA.
Ten of eleven Kurdish journalists who were taken into custody on 25 October had testified to a total of eight prosecutors in the Ankara Court.
The court accused the journalists of being the members of “terrorist organisation” referring Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based on the journalists’ news stories, social media posts and travel destinations as they gave their initial statements in front of prosecutors after four days in police custody.
The prosecutor’s office made their decision five hours later and referred MA Editor-in-Chief Diren Yurtsever, MA reporters Berivan Altan, Deniz Nazlım, Selman Güzelyüz, Hakan Yalçın, Ceylan Şahinli, Emrullah Acar, and Jin News reporters Habibe Eren and Öznur Değer to the court with a request for arrest.
Mehmet Günhan, who worked as a trainee for MA some time ago, was released with judicial control measures and has been banned from leaving the country.
11th journalist, Zemo Ağgöz, was released from custody on Wednesday night as she has a newborn baby who still needs to nurse. Ağgöz will remain in house arrest.
Based on the current arrests of the nine journalists, the number of arrested journalists in Turkey has risen from to 65.
At least 11 journalists from MA and Jin News had been detained in early morning house raids by Turkish police in Ankara, Istanbul, Van (Wan), Diyarbakır (Amed), Urfa (Riha) and Mardin (Mêrdîn) on 25 October.
The journalists, seven women and four men, had refused to testify at the police station, saying they had been subjected to mistreatment by police on Thursday.
In June, 16 out of the 21 journalists who were arrested on 8 June had been remanded in custody and sent to prison by a court order to await trial.
