Vedat Kursun, former head of the daily Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat, is accused of publishing articles "glorifying crimes and criminals" and "helping the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in their propaganda".

The prosecution has requested 525 years in prison for Kursun, who has been detained for 13 months and is awaiting the verdict from the court in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey.

"This is not the first time that the authorities have used anti-terrorism laws to stifle freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Turkey," International Press Institute (IPI) director David Dadge said in a statement.

Kursun's successor at Azadiya Welat was sentenced to 21 years in prison on February 12 on similar charges, the IPI said.

The IPI singled out Turkey for criticism in their last annual report on press freedom around the world.