Güler, who was released on probation after 2 months in prison in Van, says he will continue his journalism from where he left off

NİMET ÖLMEZ, VAN

Journalist Mehmet Sıddık Güler, who was imprisoned in the eastern province of Van on 18 December 2023 after his conviction on “terrorism propaganda” had been upheld by the Court of Cassation, was released on 19 February.

Güler, the editor-in-chief of the Serhat News news website, was sentenced to 2 years, 4 months and 3 days in prison on 24 January 2018 by the Van 4th High Criminal Court over his social media posts. The prison term was later upheld by the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.

After his arrest, Güler was first sent to Van T Type Prison and then transferred to an open prison. After spending two months in prison, Güler was released but he would be subject to probation for a year.

“I can't say that I am completely free”

Speaking to Expression Interrupted after his release from Van Open Prison, Güler pointed out that his probation will continue for a year. Güler said, "I will continue to report to a law enforcement office for one year as part of probation. For the first three months, I will have to do so four days a week, then it will be reduced to three days a week, then two days a week. I may be out of prison, but I can't say I'm completely free."

Emphasizing the challenges of being on probation, Güler said, "I was released after two months of detention. I had previously spent seven months in closed prison as part of the same case, which means, so far, I had served nine months out of the original sentence of 2 years and 4 months. The real difficult period begins after now: Even if a lawsuit is filed against you during the probation period, the probation gets suspended and you have to go back to prison to spend the remaining part of the original sentence. In other words, it becomes impossible to continue journalistic activities during the one-year probation period."

Stating that he received big support from his fellow journalists and his lawyers Murat Timur and Cihat Kutlak during his detention, Güler also underlined the importance of solidarity. He also thanked the press organizations and his colleagues from Van, Diyarbakır and İstanbul who showed solidarity after his arrest and stated that he would continue his journalistic activities from where he left off.