Author, director, and journalist Ruhi Karadağ has been handed down a 15-month suspended sentence on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda in one of his books, Turkish Minute reported on Tuesday, citing the Güneydoğu Ekspres news website reported.
The İstanbul 34th High Criminal Court issued the sentence on Tuesday in a retrial after the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed his initial conviction on the same charge several years ago, requiring a new trial.
Karadağ was charged over his 2013 book, “Yaralı Yonca/Nefela Birîndar” (Wounded Clover), which he co-wrote with journalist Faruk Balıkçı. The book examines the peace talks the Turkish government held with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) a decade ago. The talks collapsed in 2015.
For the book Karadağ and Balıkçı visited PKK bases in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq, interviewing PKK militants about the peace process and life in the mountains to provide readers with insight into their perspective.
The PKK, which has been waging a war in southeastern Turkey since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
As part of the investigation Karadağ was detained at an İstanbul airport in 2021 after spending three years in exile.
After the court announced its ruling, Karadağ’s lawyer, Atilla Saatçioğlu, vowed to appeal the verdict, calling it “unlawful and unjust.”
Karadağ is also known for his work in cinema, including directing the film “Simurg.”
It is common in Turkey for journalists and authors writing about the PKK or the country’s Kurdish population to face terrorism-related charges.
Karadağ’s conviction comes amid an intensified government crackdown on dissent, with opposition figures, journalists, academics and even astrologers targeted in efforts to suppress criticism and consolidate power.
