Aslı Ceren Aslan (born 1990) is a Turkish journalist and editor of the leftist, pro-Kurdish newspaper '' Özgür Gelecek'' (Free Future). She was given a prison sentence of seven years in July 2020 on charges of association with the banned
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
(PKK).
Aslan was born in 1990 in Istanbul. She studied mathematics in
Çanakkale
Çanakkale is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. It is the seat of Çanakkale Province and Çanakkale District.LGBTI+ activist.
Aslan was arrested in 2017 in the South Eastern Turkish province of
Urfa
Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic period, Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain abo ...
, and was charged with "membership of a banned organisation", "terror propaganda" and "violation of the border". According to ANFEnglish, "In custody, the then 27-year-old was insulted, beaten and subjected to two naked searches by Turkish security forces." Istanbul's 14th Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Aslan to two years and six months in prison, according to the
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...
.
Prosecutors alleged that specific articles published in ''Özgür Gelecek'' supported or spread propaganda for the PKK. Aslan's attorney Kübra Gündüz told Bianet that no evidence was presented to support the claim that Aslan had been a member of the PKK.
ANFEnglish commented on Aslan's sentencing that "state repression... is part of the everyday life of critical journalists in Turkey. According to a report by the Journalists' Association DFG ( Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği), at least 97 journalists are currently in Turkish prisons (as of June 30, 2020)."