Turkish teacher sentenced for denouncing violence in South-East
NAN-F-31
Teacher
Istanbul, April 27, 2017 (dpa/NAN) A Turkish teacher who denounced violence in the restive South-East of the country was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence by an Istanbul Court, the report said on Thursday.
Ayse Celik, a teacher from Diyarbakir, a mostly Kurdish city in the south-east, was charged with carrying out “propaganda for a terrorist organisation”.
In January 2016, Celik called in to a popular television show and criticised the uptick in violence between Kurdish militants and state security forces.
“Are you aware of what is going on in the country’s east, what’s happening here is misrepresented on television.
“Don’t stay silent, don’t let people die.
“Don’t let children die, don’t let mothers cry,” she told the show on Kanal D as audience members applauded.
A ceasefire between the armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the state had broken down six months earlier.
Amnesty International and other rights groups have criticised Turkey for clamping down on the media and freedom of expression in recent years.
“People expressing dissent, especially in relation to the Kurdish issue, were subjected to threats of violence and criminal prosecution,” Amnesty said.
It said that dozens of journalists were jailed, while hundreds of civil society groups had been shuttered. (dpa/NAN)
OYE/AMY
=====
Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Abdullahi Yusuf