Journalist Merdan Yanardağ has been sent to prison in Turkey awaiting trial, after his arrest on Monday for stating on live TV that the Turkish government’s absolute isolation of the jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan violates the country’s own laws.
Following the broadcast on Sunday, a chief state prosecutor initiated a legal investigation against him. Yanardağ is now facing charges of “praising crime and criminals” and “engaging in terrorist propaganda.”
Yanardağ, who spent one night in custody, was brought before the court on Tuesday after the completion of his statement at the prosecutor’s office.
Members of the pro-Kurdish Green Left Party, including Çiçek Otlu, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Ceylan Akça Cupolo, and Heval Bozdağ, were present at the courthouse to follow up the case and show their support for the veteran journalist.
Turkish MP Otlu stated that the arrest of Yanardağ once again demonstrated the absence of democracy in Turkey. “Journalists are being detained and imprisoned simply for expressing their opinions or writing articles. We believe that for democracy and freedom to exist in this country, the press must be free,” said the MP.
The isolation of Öcalan has been a subject of criticism from various international human rights organisations, who argue that it violates his basic rights according to international law.
Yanardağ’s arrest adds to concerns about the deteriorating press freedom in Turkey, with numerous journalists and media workers facing legal actions and imprisonment for reporting on certain issues.
There are currently at least 58 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, according to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
