Journalist Sina Çıladır imprisoned in Zonguldak

Sina Çıladır, editor-in-chief of the Yeni Ufuk newspaper, which has been publishing in the Ereğli district of Zonguldak for approximately 15 years, has entered prison following a finalized prison sentence.

The lawsuit against Çıladır was filed after he reported on remarks made by a local district chair in a political party's women's WhatsApp group during the 2023 general elections, where the chair said regarding a parliamentary candidate, "Let him be a man first, then let him be a member of parliament." The journalist, who was the subject of a criminal complaint due to this report, was sentenced to prison at the end of the trial.

Ali Ayaroğlu, head of the Zonguldak branch of the Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD), reacted to Çıladır's imprisonment, describing the decision as a punishment directed at the journalism profession. In his statement, Ayaroğlu said the following:

“Journalist Sina Çıladır was tried solely because of a news report he produced and has consequently entered prison. This is a trial directed not only at our colleague but at the journalism profession itself. Reporting on every event that concerns the public is a journalistic activity. Any intervention against this is a clear attack on the public's right to information and constitutional freedom of the press. The government's claim that 'there are no imprisoned journalists' has been refuted once again.”

Ayaroğlu demanded the journalist's immediate release and concluded his remarks with a call for “Long live a free press.”