Türkiye: Arrest warrant issued against journalist and poet Nedim Türfent condemned
04 July 2025 – PEN International joins international free expression, media freedom, human rights and journalists’ organisations in expressing deep concern over reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for the Kurdish writer, journalist and poet Nedim Türfent on the charge of “disseminating propaganda in favour of a terrorist organisation”. Türfent is currently living in exile in Germany due to the ongoing persecution he has faced by the Turkish authorities. While the arrest warrant was issued on 7 May 2025 by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office of Yüksekova district in Hakkari, Türfent was only made aware of it on 25 June. The existence of the warrant was made public by the Dicle Firat Journalists' Association (DFG) on 27 June.
This is the latest in a litany of threats and judicial harassment aimed at Türfent in recent years. He spent six years and seven months in prison after he was detained in May 2016 in response to his reporting on special police forces’ ill-treatment of Kurdish workers. This came amidst a severe clampdown on public interest journalism, where Kurdish writers and journalists were explicitly targeted. According to PEN International, as a result of his reporting he “began receiving death threats from the police and was the target of an online harassment campaign.” The day after his arrest, he was formally charged with “membership of a terrorist organisation”. Out of the 20 witnesses called during the court hearings, 19 retracted their statements, saying they had been extracted under torture. Türfent spent almost two years in solitary confinement. After spending over 2,400 days behind bars, he was released on 29 November 2022.
As reported by DFG, the basis of the warrant appears to be four news-related posts and retweets Türfent shared on his X account. The charge of “disseminating propaganda in favor of 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. In 2024, 82 accounts on X, including those used by Kurdish politicians, journalists, publishers and media houses, were blocked by Turkish courts on the basis of this charge, as well as other provisions commonly used to restrict free expression. Other journalists and civil society representatives, including Erol Önderoğlu (Reporters Without Borders representative in Türkiye and International Press Institute member), Şebnem Korur Fincancı (Chair of Human Rights Foundation of Türkiye) and writer Ahmet Nesin have also been charged under this provision in 2016. While they were acquitted, this verdict was overturned in October 2020.
As Türfent is now based in Germany, the warrant may result in an extradition request. Türkiye has long requested the extradition of those in exile, many of whom were targeted for their criticism of the ruling party and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or for acts of public interest journalism. For instance, in 2017, a year after the failed coup, it was reported that Türkiye had requested the extradition of 81 people from Germany. While German courts have previously rejected a number of requests on human rights grounds and in reference to the European Court of Human Rights, we are deeply concerned by the possibility of Türfent being forcibly returned to Türkiye. This fear is enhanced by the fact that his visa expires at the end of August 2025.
We, the undersigned, condemn the issuance of this arrest warrant targeting Türfent for acts of protected speech and for his work as a journalist. Speaking to Index on Censorship in 2023 about his persecution, Türfent said: “My journalism was then declared a ‘crime’.” This cannot happen again, and we call for the warrant to be retracted without delay. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Signed by
Index on Censorship
ARTICLE 19
Articolo 21
Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Croatian PEN Centre
Danish PEN
Deutsche Journalistinnen und Journalisten Union (dju) in ver.di
Dicle Firat Journalists’ Association (DFG)
DİSK Basın-İş
English PEN
European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Gefangenes Wort
Giuristi Democratici Association - Italy
Human Rights Association (İHD)
IFEX
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Press Institute (IPI)
International Society for Human Rights (ISHR)
Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM)
Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS)
Kurdish PEN
Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
PEN America
PEN Català
PEN Esperanto
PEN International
PEN Melbourne
PEN Netherlands
PEN Norway
PEN Sweden
PEN Sydney
Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD), Turkey
Research and Development Center for Democracy (CRED)
San Miguel PEN
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Stimmen der Solidarität - Mahnwache Köln e.V.
Vietnamese Abroad PEN Centre
Wahrheitskämpfers e. V.
Note to editors:
For further details, please contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Communications and Campaigns Manager at PEN International: [email protected]