Siirt co-mayor sentenced on terrorism charges

Siirt co-mayor sentenced on terrorism charges

DIYARBAKIR
Siirt co-mayor sentenced on terrorism chargesSiirt co-mayor sentenced on terrorism charges

The co-mayor of the southeastern city of Siirt, Sofya Alağaş, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison on Jan. 28 for alleged membership in a terrorist organization, a charge stemming from her previous work as a journalist.

 

Alağaş was detained in June 2022 alongside 15 other journalists as part of an investigation by the chief public prosecutor's office in nearby Diyarbakır. At the time, she served as news director for Jin News.

 

Prosecutors said headlines prepared by Alağaş promoted violence, criticized the state and fostered sympathy for PKK.

 

Released in June 2023 pending a travel ban, she was elected in last year's local elections from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) ranks. However, a hearing on Jan. 28 ultimately ruled for her imprisonment.

 

"This is an attack on the will of the Kurds," Alağaş told reporters outside the Diyarbakır Courthouse.

 

The DEM Party also criticized the verdict in a statement on X. "The [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP government continues to instrumentalize the judiciary," the post read.