6 journalists covering the appointment of a trustee to the Van Metropolitan Municipality were detained by the police. Rabia Önver, Medine Mamedoğlu, Ruşen Takva and Mehmet Güleş were released, while 2 journalists were sent to prosecutor for questioning

NİMET ÖLMEZ, VAN

More than 130 people, including six journalists, were detained in Van following the appointment of a trustee to the metropolitan municipality.

Van Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison for "terrorism propaganda" and "aiding a terrorist organization" at the final hearing of a case held at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on 11 February, paving the way for the takeover of the municipality by a state-appointed trustee and prompting a vigil by protesters in front of the municipality building. Days after the court verdict, the police intervened in the early hours of 15 February in the vigil in front of the municipality. Co-Mayor Zeydan was removed from his post and Van Governor Ozan Balcı was appointed as trustee.

The detained journalists had been following the vigil in front of the municipality for the past few days. The journalists were beaten and handcuffed behind their backs during the detention. The names of the detained journalists are as follows: JinNews reporter Rabia Önver, Mezopotamya Agency reporters Bilal Babat and Mehmet Güleş, journalists Ruşen Takva, Medine Mamedoğlu and Behçet Bayhan.

Önver's statement was taken without a lawyer

Journalist Rabia Önver was taken to the Anti-Terror Branch of the Security Directorate after being detained and her statement was taken without a lawyer. During her interrogation Önver was asked questions such as “Why did you go to the municipality building? From whom did you receive instructions?”. Önver, whose phone, camera and computer were confiscated, was released after her statement on Saturday afternoon. Journalists Medine Mamedoğlu and Ruşen Takva were also released later in the same day. Mezopotamya Agency reporter Mehmet Güleş was released without being questioned by the police. Journalists Bilal Babat and Behçet Bayhan were referred to the prosecutor for questioning.

Ruşen Takva's lawyer Burcu Şeber said that her client, who had been following the events in front of the municipality, was detained on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” based on his last two X posts about the developments and was held at the Security Branch of the Van police. Şeber stated that journalists Bilal Babat, Mehmet Güleş, Medine Mamedoğlu and Behçet Bayhan were being held at Anti-Terror Branch.