Six journalist organisations in Turkey have called upon international bodies to demand the release of the award-winning Kurdish journalist Dicle Müftüoğlu, who has been in pre-trial detention since her arrest on 3 May 2023.
The campaign, spearheaded by the Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD), Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), Press and Printing Workers Union of Turkey (DİSK BASIN-İŞ), and the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS), has made a direct appeal to global press organisations and human rights institutions.
The campaign is supported by detailed reports prepared by MLSA Legal Unit, highlighting the baseless nature of the charges against Müftüoğlu.
Müftüoğlu, known for her significant contributions to journalism, which earned her the ‘Most Resilient Journalist’ award by Free Press Unlimited as the co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) and an editor at the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), was detained in Diyarbakır (Amed) on 29 April 2023 and sent to prison on 3 May 2023, World Press Freedom Day.
She faces charges of ‘membership in an illegal organisation’ and ‘establishing and leading an illegal organisation’, though a review of the 43-page indictment reveals no specific accusations against her.
Despite clear evidence during her two court hearings showing that Müftüoğlu’s activities were solely related to her journalistic work, she has not been granted bail and will remain behind bars until 29 February when the next hearing will be held.
The campaign emphasises that Müftüoğlu’s detention represents a severe assault not only on her rights but also on the principles of press freedom and democracy, underscoring the broader issue of repression faced by Kurdish journalists in Turkey.
