Letter From Zehra Doğan to Banksy

Click to read the article in Turkish

Imprisoned journalist and painter Zehra Doğan has sent a letter of thanks to the street artists Borf and Banksy, who projected the painting, which caused Doğan to stand trial, on a wall in Manhattan, New York.

Banksy, an England-based street artist worldwide known for his graffiti artworks, shared Doğan's letter with its English translation on his Instagram account. Almost 100 thousand people around the world liked the post.

In her letter, Zehra Doğan recounted her arrest process, the conflicts in the region and her days in prison. Doğan also thanked the street artists Banksy and Borf for supporting her and making the developments in Turkey known around the world.

Here are some of the highlights from Doğan's letter:

"People hear me more than ever and while the rulers in these lands that speaks the same language with me (because they forced us to learn Turkish) doesn't understand me. Art is a meaning of communication far beyond language.

"I can't thank you and Borf enough. I couldn't imagine that my painting will be projected in a city like New York. I spend 12 hours a day imagining and this is even beyond my imagination. I feel stronger and now I'm painting Afrin. Because it's worth it."

Click to see the Turkish and English versions of the letter on Banksy's Instagram account

Her painting was projected in New York

Street artists Banksy and Borf, who was previously sentenced to 30 days in prison due to his illustrations, protested against the arrest of journalist and painter Zehra Doğan with a mural painting in Manhattan, New York.

They also projected the painting, which caused Doğan to stand trial, over his graffiti with the note, "Sentenced to 2 years 9 months and 22 days in jail for painting this picture."

About Zehra Doğan

Born in 1989, Zehra Doğan graduated from the Department of Painting Teaching at Dicle University in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır. She worked as a reporter at Jin News Agency (JİNHA) between 2012 and 2016, when the agency was closed by a Statutory Decree.

Doğan worked in Mardin and its vicinity since July 24, 2015, when conflicts erupted and curfews were declared in the region.

Zehra Doğan was granted Metin Göktepe Journalism Award for his news report entitled "The Scream of Yazidi Women," which was about the women subjected to violence by ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq) in Shingal.

She has been behind bars since June 2017

Zehra Doğan, who had been in Mardin Type E Prison for 4.5 months, was released at the first hearing of the lawsuit brought on charges of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "being a member of an illegal organization" and held held at Mardin 2nd Heavy Penal Court on December 9, 2016. The court ruled that Doğan be acquitted of "membership of an illegal organization" and be released from prison pending trial on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

Doğan, whose trial continued at Mardin 2nd Heavy Penal Court, was acquitted of "being a member of an illegal organization" in early March 2017. Zehra Doğan has then been sentenced to 2 years, 9 months and 22 days in prison on the grounds of social media posts that she made between December 21, 2015 - December 9, 2016 as well as making a news report from the notes of a 10-year-old boy in the district of Nusaybin in Turkey's southeastern province of Mardin. Her prison sentence was upheld on June 2, 2017. Doğan was arrested on June 12, 2017. (ÇT/SD)