Kurdistan
Rudaw journalist Rawin Sterk was detained by Turkish authorities in Edirne on February 29, 2020. File photo: Rudaw TV
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Rudaw Media Network issued a statement on Sunday calling for the release of its reporter Rawin Sterk, who was detained by Turkish authorities on February 29 while reporting on the migrant crisis unfolding in Edirne.
Sterk and his cameraman Mehmet Sirin Akgun were detained alongside Mesopotamian News Agency (Mezopotamya Ajansi) correspondents Idris Sayilgan and Naci Kaya near Turkey’s border with Greece and Bulgaria.
Thousands of migrants and refugees have flocked to Turkey’s western border with the European Union since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted restrictions on February 28, fearing a new wave of Syrian refugees fleeing Idlib.
Turkish authorities accused the journalists of “filming in a military area”.
Akgun was released after four days. Sterk meanwhile was moved to the Turkish capital Ankara where a court formally charged him with “propagating for a terrorist organization” – an offense that can carry up to five years in prison.
“Since their arrest, Rudaw Media Network has made every legal effort to release the detained Rudaw team, and will continue its efforts legally,” the Erbil-based broadcaster said in its statement.
Sterk and Akgun were apprehended after crossing into a “forbidden zone” between Greece and Turkey.
“Rawin Sterk Yildiz was arrested while performing his duty as a journalist. Rudaw Media Network is asking for this to be taken into account and for him to be freed,” the statement added.
Sterk attended a court hearing in Ankara on Friday where he was officially charged with “propagating for a terrorist organization” – in reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey.
Ankara and its NATO allies consider the PKK a terrorist organization.
Sterk’s social media posts about Syria’s Idlib, where Turkish soldiers have clashed with Syrian regime forces in recent weeks, were used as evidence in Friday’s hearing.
In his defense, Sterk said his tweets about Idlib relied on reputable international news sources. He denied creating and disseminating propaganda.
Sterk’s lawyer has seven days to appeal the ruling. If the appeal is accepted, Sterk will be released but will still have to appear before a second hearing next month. If the court does not acquit him at this second hearing, the case will continue.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over Turkey’s detention and prosecution of journalists. Arrests spiked in the years following the 2016 attempted coup.
Reporters Without Borders has called Turkey the “world’s biggest jailer of professional journalists”.
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