Öznur Değer, the News Director of JINNEWS, who was violently detained during a raid on her family home in the Kızıltepe (Qoser) district of Mardin (Mêrdîn) on February 7 and arrested the same day on charges of “spreading terrorist propaganda,” was released at the first hearing held at the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court.

Following the court’s decision, she was welcomed outside Erzincan Type T Prison, where she had been detained, by members of the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), the Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinen Azad - TJA), along with her colleagues and friends.

Öznur Değer stated that her joy was bittersweet, as many of her friends remain behind bars. She said: “From now on, I will continue to practice the peace journalism I have been committed to for the past five years, with even greater responsibility. I will continue to pursue peace journalism for the seriously ill prisoners who remain incarcerated, and for all those engaged in the struggle for peace. As we have said for years, the free press has never remained silent. It has not been silent since the 1990s. It has cried out, written, filmed, and continued to carry out its duties and responsibilities. I will uphold the responsibilities of the legacy entrusted to me by those who came before. The free press cannot be silenced.”