Veteran Turkish journalist Şirin Payzın has been placed under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly “disseminating terrorist propaganda,” she announced Tuesday on the social media platform X.
“Yes, I just found out that an investigation has been initiated into me for terrorist propaganda,” she said in a tweet.
Payzın, a journalist for the T24 news website, added that prosecutors had informed her of a notification requiring her to testify.
“The prosecutor told me that a notification has been sent and that if I don’t comply, an arrest warrant will be issued. But I haven’t received it yet,” she wrote, adding that she plans to appear with her lawyer. “In my 34 years of journalism, there is nothing I can’t explain.”
The investigation stems from allegations of spreading terrorist propaganda under Article 7/2 of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law (Law No. 3713). According to the law, propaganda offenses can be committed through speech, writing, slogans or visual elements such as banners, images and videos.
Article 7/2 stipulates that an individual found guilty of spreading propaganda that legitimizes, praises or encourages the use of force, violence or threats by a terrorist organization can face a prison sentence ranging from one to five years.
Turkish authorities have frequently used terrorism-related charges to prosecute journalists, activists and opposition figures. Press freedom groups have criticized the broad interpretation of counterterrorism laws, arguing that they are often used to silence dissent and stifle independent journalism.
Turkey is one of the world’s biggest jailers of professional journalists and was ranked 158th among 180 countries in terms of press freedom in 2024, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).