A court in Istanbul has ordered the temporary closure of a pro-Kurdish newspaper after accusing it of having links to militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem was closed for spreading terrorist propaganda and "acting as the de facto news outlet" for the PKK, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

An unnamed Turkish official has confirmed the court order, saying that the court decision had no relation to the state of emergency declared after the failed mid-July coup in the country.

"The defendants can appeal this decision," the official added.

Launched in 1992, the leftist daily has been the subject of court closures and raids in the past and its journalists have been detained on several occasions.

The pro-Kurdish daily was also closed from 1994 until April 2011, when it started publishing again.

According to the latest figures, the Turkish-Kurdish language newspaper has a print circulation of fewer than 7,000.

The paper has featured the writings of PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999.

Since the abortive coup of July 15, over 130 media outlets have been shut down amid the state of emergency.

Human Rights Foundation (HRF) recently said Turkish journalists faced "constant threats and retribution for their work, and are often harassed and prosecuted under criminal laws designed to stifle government criticism."

Southeastern Turkey has been the scene of deadly fighting between Kurdish militants and the army over the past months. The fighting escalated after Turkey declared the collapse of years-long peace negotiations with the Kurds last year and began imposing restrictions in Kurdish-dominated areas.

Ankara has also intensified attacks on alleged PKK positions in Iraq and Syria, further deepening the unrest inside its territories. The PKK, which mainly operates in the mountainous regions of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in major Turkish cities over the past months.