News Center — Turkish authorities continue to issue prison sentences against several artists on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “propaganda for a terrorist organization,” in trials that have sparked widespread controversy within artistic and human rights circles.

Today, Tuesday, December 9, the final hearing in the case of artist Pinar Aydinlar was held before the 13th High Criminal Court in Istanbul. She faces accusations of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “propaganda for a terrorist organization” as part of investigations linked to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Pinar Aydinlar attended the session alongside her defense team, as well as representatives from several political parties and NGOs who observed the trial proceedings. During the session, the prosecution reiterated its position from the previous hearing, requesting that the accused be punished for both charges.

During her trial at the 13th High Criminal Court, Pinar Aydinlar spoke about the conditions of her arrest in connection with a Democratic Peoples’ Congress (HDK) operation. In her defense, she stated that she was subjected to harsh treatment during the police raid, being forced to lie face down under the threat of weapons inside her home, where she lived with her children. She added that security forces aimed guns at her head, and her daughter was forced to remove her clothes in front of cameras.

She affirmed her intellectual and artistic identity, saying: “I am an artist who stands with the oppressed and workers, and I regularly perform music concerts,” while calling for the lifting of judicial restrictions imposed on her and demanding a verdict of acquittal.

At the end of the session, the 13th High Criminal Court in Istanbul sentenced Pinar Aydinlar to six years and three months in prison after convicting her of “membership in a terrorist organization.” The verdict concluded the trial sessions, which were followed by political figures and representatives of civil society organizations, drawing significant attention from artistic and human rights communities.

It is worth noting that Pinar Aydinlar was born in Istanbul in 1979, hails from Erzurum, studied at the State Conservatory of Istanbul Technical University, and emerged as a Turkish folk singer, in addition to her work as a writer, journalist, and politician within the Peoples’ Democratic Party.