A Turkish court on Friday handed down a suspended sentence of more than one year to Kurdish journalist Mehmet Üçar on terrorism propaganda charges over his reporting for pro-Kurdish outlets, the Media and Law Studies Association reported.
The Batman 2nd High Criminal Court convicted Üçar of disseminating terrorist propaganda based on his articles in the Germany-based Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and PolitikArt, a culture and arts magazine, as well as freelance payments he received. The court suspended the sentence, meaning he will not serve time in prison unless he commits a similar offense within the next five years.
Üçar was among nine journalists detained on November 26, 2024, along with 231 others as part of an investigation conducted by the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. He was accused of membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Üçar was released from pretrial detention in July 2025 under judicial supervision.
Turkey frequently brings terrorism-related charges against journalists and media workers, a practice that has affected reporters covering the Kurdish issue, a reference to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Press freedom and human rights groups say such cases often rely on reporting activity, sources or published content rather than evidence of involvement in violence.
According to Expression Interrupted, 27 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was further pointed out in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where it was ranked 159th out of 180 nations.
