09 December 2025
Journalist Suzan Demir is being prosecuted under Article 220/6 of the Turkish Penal Code for “aiding a terrorist organisation” over freelance articles she wrote for Germany-based pro-Kurdish outlets Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt. At the first hearing before the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court, Demir said she has been writing film criticism since 2008 and that her freelance journalism is now being criminalised. She denied the charges. The court lifted judicial controls, referred the file to the prosecutor, and postponed the hearing to 17 February 2026. Journalists Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Gülcan Dereli and Kemal Taylan Abatan are also on trial in the same case.
