A Turkish court has handed down journalist Özlem Gürses a suspended sentence for publicly portraying the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) as an occupying force allegedly collaborating with terrorist groups involved in torture and massacres, Turkish Minute reported.
The 30th İstanbul Criminal Court of First Instance delivered the ruling Thursday, finding Gürses guilty of “openly insulting the military or security organizations of the state.” The charges stemmed from comments she made during a YouTube broadcast discussing developments in Syria, which led to her brief detention in late December. She was subsequently put under house arrest for 52 days.
Prosecutors cited Gürses’ statement in which she said, “As you can see, ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant], that is, the TSK–Syrian National Army structure, has made small gains in regions where Kurds are present.”
Authorities interpreted the remarks as labeling the TSK as an “occupying force” and argued that she equated the Turkish military with a terrorist organization.
The court handed down a suspended sentence of one year, three months, meaning Gürses will avoid prison unless she commits a similar offense in the future. Her travel ban has since been lifted.
In her defense Gürses said her words were a “slip of the tongue” and denied any intent to liken the Turkish army to ISIL.
The conviction of Gürses adds to growing international concern over press freedom in Turkey, where journalists routinely face legal pressure over reporting or commentary deemed critical of the government. Rights organizations have criticized the widespread use of defamation laws to silence dissent.
RSF ranked Turkey 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Critics accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of establishing one-man rule in the country by jailing his critics and silencing opposition media.
