Turkey jails human rights activist with Armenian roots for social media posts

A Turkish court has put Rozerin Zeri, a human rights activist of Armenian origin, in pretrial detention due to her social media posts deemed to be “propaganda on behalf of a terrorist organization,” the Stockholm Center for Freedom reveals.

According to a tweet posted by Acun Karadag, a history teacher who was fired with a government decree issued by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016, Zeri was put behind bars late on Saturday because of Facebook posts that are critical of the Turkish government.

“Rozerin Zeri. She was arrested today due to her social media posts. She is the mother of a sick child. What kind of crime could she commit with a single tweet? She is innocent. What’s with the hurry? What are you trying to do? Enough is enough!” Karadag tweeted.

The Turkish government has investigated thousands of social media accounts and taken legal action against hundreds of them since the start of a Turkish military operation in Afrin province in Syria. The Turkish Interior Ministry announced on February 26 that 845 people who criticized the Afrin operation on social media and participated in activities critical of it had been taken into custody.