The International Press Institute (IPI) has called on Turkey to drop charges against journalist Melis Alphan, who faces up to 7.5 years in prison for a photo she took during the celebrations of Newroz in Diyarbakır in 2015.
The International Press Institute (IPI) expresses solidarity with journalist Melis Alphan on the day of her hearing.
"This is an outrageous example of targeting journalists who reported on, supported and shared previous official activities of the government during peace talks with Kurdish representatives to solve a long-term national conflict", IPI Turkey Programme Coordinator Renan Akyavaş has said.
Akyavaş added: "This is absolutely unacceptable, and Turkey must immediately end the prosecution of Alphan and compensate her for the damage done to her during this baseless prosecution."
Melis Alphan is under trial for a photo of the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır in 2015.
The journalist is now charged with "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" because "the flag of the organization was seen in the picture." Alphan faces up to 7 years, 6 months in prison.
