Journalist faces disinformation charges after reporting on alleged ‘state-linked’ criminal gang

Journalist Rabia Önver is facing disinformation charges following a raid on her home after she reported on an alleged criminal gang in the Kurdish-populated eastern city of Hakkari.

Önver was not at home during the Sep 20 raid. The prosecutor’s office issued an arrest warrant and ordered the seizure of her digital equipment, according to the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD).

“Our client is a journalist who has been reporting in the public interest,” the lawyer group stated. “The search of her home and the attempt to confiscate digital materials, which are essential for her work, is a clear attempt to intimidate the press through the judiciary.

“Freedom of the press and the public’s right to access information are essential to democracy. In a democratic country, silencing the press through judicial means is a severe blow to both democracy and public trust in the judiciary.”

The group urged authorities to reverse the decision and uphold the principles of law, stating that the investigation violates press freedom and the public’s right to information.

Background

Önver’s report, published by JINNEWS, a news agency focused on Kurdish and women’s issues, exposed a gang in Hakkari that was allegedly forcing young women into drug addiction and prostitution. In her article, Önver interviewed the mother of a woman who claimed to have been victimized by the gang. The mother alleged that local law enforcement and judicial authorities pressured her to withdraw her complaint. She also noted that members of the gang leader’s family were village guards and soldiers.

Önver’s report linked these activities to what was described as a “special war policy” implemented by the state in Kurdish regions. The claims also reached Turkey’s parliament, where they were raised in a parliamentary inquiry.

(VK)