A Turkish journalist was sent to prison in İstanbul after his conviction on terrorism-related charges was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
Ahmet Ayva announced his arrest in a video he posted on X on Friday.
An investigation was launched into Ayva in 2018 on charges of “insulting the president” in a social media post.
However, during the trial, the charges were changed to “spreading terrorist propaganda,” and Ayva was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for disseminating propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK is an armed separatist group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community.
Ayva was arrested on Friday and taken to İstanbul’s notorious Marmara Prison after his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
“Looking forward to seeing you in the days when there is freedom to criticize in Turkey and when saying ‘May children not die’ is not considered a crime!” he said on X.
Journalists in Turkey commonly face accusations of terrorism, insult, denigration and inciting hatred in connection with their work. Recent legislation enacted by the government has also criminalized spreading “false or misleading information.”
Those reporting on the situation of the Kurdish minority and the Kurdish political movement often face charges of membership in or disseminating propaganda for the PKK.
The prosecutors of these journalists typically cite their news coverage and social media commentary as evidence in their cases. The indictments rely on Turkey’s anti-terror laws, which are frequently criticized for being overly broad, allowing too much room for interpretation.
Many human rights groups have also reported a lack of judicial independence in the country, which was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the rule of law index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) in October, dropping one rank in comparison to last year.
Turkey is among the top jailers of journalists in the world and was ranked 165th in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2023 World Press Freedom Index, among 180 countries, not far from North Korea, which occupies the bottom of the list.
