In an interview with N1, Turkish journalist Sedef Kabash shared her experiences of police raids, court trials, and the threat of imprisonment for a tweet she posted in 2015. She recounted how, after criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan using a proverb that the authorities interpreted as an insult, she was arrested and charged with "insulting" the president.

Kabash explained that journalists critical of the government in Turkey face significant risks, including arrest, trials, and prison sentences. “Both civilians and journalists began to feel increasing repression years ago,” she said. In 2015, she was charged before a criminal court for mentioning the chief prosecutor on social media, whom she believed had covered up a major corruption scandal. “If found guilty, you are directly imprisoned, without the option of a fine or compensation,” she added.

Kabash also spoke about how the Turkish government uses propaganda to discredit its critics. Referring to a TEDx talk she gave, she discussed how her words about Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels were taken out of context. The government presented her comments as though she was encouraging people to lie. “The authorities took part of my speech, where I said, ‘Goebbels said: Lie to society. Tell big lies and repeat them until society accepts them as truth,’ and they cut that part to misrepresent me,” she explained.

Supporters of the Turkish government accuse Kabaş of spreading news that destabilizes Turkey and claim she is part of an opposition campaign undermining the state’s image internationally. “Turkey has become a hybrid regime. More than 90% of the media is controlled by the government, making free journalism impossible,” Kabash stated.

Kabash was in Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak at Sarajevo Fest, where she delivered a lecture at the National Theatre on journalism's struggle against authoritarian regimes. She has an extensive background in media, having worked for CNN International and NTV, and holds advanced degrees in communication and political communication from Bogazici University and Boston University, respectively.