Turkish journalist Mengu receives suspended sentence for terror propaganda charges

A Turkish court has suspended the one-year and three-month prison sentence given to journalist Nevsin Mengu, who was convicted of “spreading terrorist propaganda through the press and media” for publishing an interview with a Kurdish political figure on social media.

The verdict was delivered by the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court, where Mengu’s attorneys represented her at the hearing. Prosecutors had initially sought a prison term ranging from one year and six months to seven years and six months.

During the proceedings, Mengu’s attorney, Huseyin Ersoz, defended his client by emphasizing her long-standing career in journalism and requested her acquittal.

The court ultimately ruled by majority vote to sentence Mengu to one year and three months in prison but ordered the sentence to be suspended.

One dissenting judge filed a minority opinion arguing for Mengu’s acquittal, stating that there was “no evidence the accused had committed the crime” and noting that Mengu lacked criminal intent.

According to the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Mengu had published an interview on her public social media account with Salih Muslim, a leader of the PKK/YPG organization who is subject to an Interpol red notice.

The indictment claimed that Mengu disseminated statements from Muslims that “consciously legitimized and spread the organization’s separatist activities” and “legitimized the organization’s methods involving force, violence, or threats or encouraged resort to such methods.”

Prosecutors noted that the video had been viewed thousands of times and argued that Mengu’s actions constituted propaganda for a terrorist organization under Turkish law.

The PYD/YPG is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, which considers it an extension of the PKK, though this designation is not universally shared by other countries