Nedim TÜRFENT
Image Credit: Mezopotamya Ajansi/WikkiCommons
On 25 June 2025, Kurdish writer, journalist and poet Nedim Türfent became aware he was the subject of a 7 May 2025 arrest warrant on the charge of ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organisation’. Proceedings were ongoing at the end of the year.
As reported by Dicle Firat Journalists' Association (DFG), the basis of the warrant issued by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office of Yüksekova district in Hakkari appeared to be four news-related posts and retweets Türfent had shared on his X account. The charge of ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organisation’, outlined in Article 7 of Türkiye’s Anti-Terror Law (Law no. 3713), has long been used to stifle critical speech or public interest reporting. PEN International joined partners in expressing deep concern at the report.
The move was the latest in a litany of threats and judicial harassment aimed at Türfent in recent years on account of his journalistic work and Kurdish identity. He spent six years and seven months in prison from May 2016 to November 2022, with almost two years in solitary confinement, in retaliation for his reporting on special police forces’ ill-treatment of Kurdish workers. Out of the 20 witnesses called during the court hearings, 19 retracted their statements, saying they had been extracted under torture. PEN International and PEN Centres around the world had actively campaigned for his release (see Case Lists 2018-2022).
Nedim Türfent, born 8 February 1990, is an award-winning Kurdish news editor, journalist and poet from Türkiye. He was awarded the prestigious Musa Anter Journalism Award in 2015 as well as the 2022 Halkevleri Press and Art Solidarity Award. While in prison, Türfent wrote Kuş Aynası, a collection of poems published in September 2021 in Türkiye (Aram Publishing). Über Mauern, a collection of his poetry and articles, was published in 2022 in Germany (Bernadette Ronnes and Cornelia Rohr). He is an Honorary Member of English PEN and PEN Melbourne and currently resides in Germany.