Because of “terrorist propaganda”: doctor sentenced to prison

The Turkish doctor Fincanci was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. She is accused of “terrorist propaganda”. Fincanci had called for investigations into chemical weapons by the Turkish military.

The President of the Turkish Medical Association, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. That was decided by a court in Istanbul. However, the 63-year-old human rights activist does not have to go to prison. After the detention on remand was deducted, the remaining sentence was suspended on probation.

Fincanci was accused of making propaganda for a terrorist organization. Her lawyers invoked freedom of speech.

Fincanci called for investigation into chemical weapons

Fincanci had been in custody since October 27. In an interview with the broadcaster “Medya Haber”, the renowned medical examiner called for an independent investigation into the unconfirmed allegations that the Turkish military was using chemical weapons in the fight against the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. The Turkish government has denied the allegations.

Pro-Kurdish media and opposition figures had previously accused the Turkish army of using chemical weapons. The PKK said 17 of its fighters were killed in one such attack in the mountains of northern Iraq. The PKK has been waging an armed uprising against the Turkish state since 1984. The group is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe and the United States.

Erdogan accuses Fincanci of “language of terrorism”.

The Turkish defense minister called the allegations “slander”. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the doctor of speaking “the language of terrorism”. He announced measures to rid the Turkish Medical Association and other professional organizations of suspected supporters of the PKK.

The human rights organization Amnesty International saw the case against Fincanci as politically motivated. The World Medical Association called the process baseless, illegal and unacceptable. The German Medical Association also campaigned for Fincanci to be released. As a coroner, Fincanci has documented cases of abuse and torture for years. In 2018 she was awarded the Hessian Peace Prize.