Sevinç Özarslan

Özarslan began her journalism career at the Sabah Group and later worked for the Yeni Binyıl newspaper. After the Yeni Binyıl closed following the 2001 economic crisis in Turkey, she spent some time working in art galleries and publishing houses. During this period, she contributed to exhibitions at Bebek Art Gallery, featuring prominent Turkish painters such as Nuri Iyem, Irfan Okan, Temur Köran, Nedret Sekban, and Neşe Erdok.

In 2005, she joined the Zaman, where she worked as a reporter in the Culture and Arts sections for nearly a decade. After the Zaman Newspaper was shut down by the Turkish government following the 2016 coup attempt, Özarslan continued her work through independent media. She focused on reporting human rights violations, arbitrary detention, torture, and ill treatment in Turkey. She is widely recognized for drawing attention to victims in Turkey and for exposing human rights and legal violations through her reporting and social media presence. ^[1]

Particularly noteworthy reports include:

• Footage showing the death of decree-law (KHK) - affiliated teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu, who died in Istanbul Police Department’s C4 Detention Center, allegedly following torture.^[9][10]
• Photographs of KHK-affiliated assistant commissioner Mustafa Kabakçıoğlu, who was found dead in solitary confinement at Gümüşhane E-Type Prison, reportedly due to lack of medical care.^{[11][12][13][14]}
• The case of former Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) member Teoman Gökçe, who died after a delayed medical response to a heart attack during 16 months in solitary confinement at Sincan T-Type Prison.^[15]
• The strip-search scandal involving female students during their detention at the Uşak Police Department, which brought Özarslan significant public attention.^[16][17][18]

Özarslan’s reporting on the Uşak Police incident was later raised in the Turkish Grand National Assembly by MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu. Following this, Uşak Police Chief Mesut Gezer and several police officers filed complaints against Gergerlioğlu. He was subsequently detained in March 2021 based on an article he shared on T24. Similarly, a detention warrant was issued for Sevinç Özarslan, and investigations were launched against her regarding her interviews with female students.^[19]

In March 2026, Özarslan participated in the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York. She was a featured speaker in the panel "Authoritarian Power, Gendered Body, and Politics of Autonomy," where she addressed the systemic silencing of women and documented human rights violations in Turkey. During the discussion, she emphasized the importance of international solidarity in supporting journalists in exile and victims of state repression.^[20]

External videos
Sevinç Özarslan's international advocacy and reporting
Presentation at UN CSW70: Authoritarian Power and Gendered Body
Interview with Dr. Hafza Girdap: Reflections on the UN CSW70

Following the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Özarslan published an extensive analysis titled "Inside the Silence: Sexual Violence and Medical Abuse in Turkish Prison."^[21] In this work and her subsequent televised interview with AST spokesperson Dr. Hafza Girdap, she documented the "systemic silencing" of female political prisoners. Her reporting detailed specific instances of medical neglect and sexual violence, urging the international community to confront what she described as the "gendered dimensions of authoritarian repression" in Turkey.^[20]