Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.
A press statement was held at the Human Rights Association Diyarbakır Branch regarding the ill-treatment of journalists by law enforcement officers during the “Özgürlük Mitingi" (Freedom Rally) organized by DEM Party in Diyarbakır. After the statement, the journalists filed a criminal complaint and said, “We will never stop writing the truth”
ARDIL BATMAZ, DIYARBAKIR
The “Özgürlük Mitingi” planned to be held in Diyarbakır on 13 October was banned by the governorate. Despite the ban, many people, especially representatives of political parties, took to the streets and tried to march to the rally site. Journalists in the city were also in the area to cover the rally. Security forces intervened in the protests in the city and tried to prevent journalists who were in the field to report on the situation. Journalist Heval Önkol was subjected to beatings and threats by the police, while journalist Ceylan Şahinli's camera, which was recording the moment when a group of young people were battered by the police, was tried to be broken. Journalists Hevidar Önver and Sonay Ödengit were forced to the ground and subjected to police violence.
Professional organizations: “They were subjected to a very harsh intervention”
Journalism professional organizations held a press statement at the Human Rights Association Diyarbakır Branch regarding the ill-treatment of journalists by law enforcement officers during the “Freedom Rally.” Journalists Ceylan Şahinli and Heval Önkol, who were subjected to obstruction and ill-treatment by law enforcement officers, journalists Roza Metina, President of the Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association (MKGP), Selman Çiçek, Co-President of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Human Rights Association (IHD) Diyarbakır Branch President Ercan Yılmaz and Deputy Branch President Suzan Mehmetoğlu attended the press statement.
Ercan Yılmaz said that freedom of the press has been abolished as a whole in Turkey and that they would apply to the judicial authorities regarding the violence imposed on civilians, journalists and lawyers on the day of the incident and that they would follow the judicial process. Yılmaz said, “Our free press colleagues were practicing their profession in the field that day in order to document possible violations of rights.” Stating that they do not accept the acts of beatings amounting to torture, Yılmaz said, “The Kurdish people as a whole want an end to the war and conflicts, the resolution of the Kurdish question through democratic means and methods, and the lifting of the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, who has a role in the resolution of this question and whose interlocutor status is no longer even a matter of discussion. People can express this in different ways. They can express their thoughts and expressions through signature campaigns or rallies. We find it useful to point out once again that none of these are crimes. The judiciary has opened investigations and filed lawsuits against such demands in the past, but both the ECHR and the Constitutional Court have ruled that such expressions do not constitute a crime. Our free press colleagues were in the field that day to document possible violations of rights, possible harsh police interventions and to ensure the public's right to information. As reflected in the footage, they were subjected to a very harsh intervention. We know that freedom of the press in Turkey has been abolished as a whole for many years. We are talking about a country that ranked 158th among 180 countries in the world index in March 2024. We are talking about a country where dozens of journalists are imprisoned or convicted in prisons. As İHD, we would like to state that we do not accept the acts of beatings amounting to torture against our press worker friends, civilian people and lawyer colleagues, that we will make applications regarding these and that we will follow the process.”
Heval Önkol: "We will never stop writing the truth"
Dicle Fırat Journalists Association Co-Chair Selman Çiçek, journalist Heval Önkol, who was subjected to obstruction and ill-treatment by law enforcement officers, and MKGD President Roza Metina spoke to P24 after the press statement.
“I was prevented from covering the incident by a male police officer,” Önkol said, describing what happened on the day of the incident as follows: “I showed my press card to the policeman but he said he did not recognize my press card. He threatened me and this threat was made not only to me but also to many of our female friends working in the field. When I was shooting in the gathering area, I was prevented from shooting by one female and two male police officers. No matter how much I expressed that I am a journalist, I was pushed away from where I was standing. As the free press, we never accept this and we want to state that we will never give up writing the truth and struggling.”
Selman Çiçek “The target of the attack is especially people with the identity of free press”
Selman Çiçek, Co-Chairman of Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, stated that people, especially those who carry the identity of free press, have been subjected to attacks due to the fact that they reveal many hidden events with their news reports and said, “Attacks and pressures against the press by law enforcers have been increasing recently. Especially in Diyarbakır, this has become a routine. It does not seem abnormal to us that the chief of the security branch, in front of everyone, in a place where he puts himself in the place of a judicial authority by saying 'I will start an investigation if members of the press do not come out' from the announcement vehicle, and the police officers under his command attacked our laborer friends who were doing news coverage in the field. Because this attack starts from the top. We, as eight press organizations, have issued a joint condemnation text. As long as these attacks continue, we will fight together. These attacks do not discourage us, on the contrary, they increase our ambition to report the news even more. From now on, whenever there is an attack, our response will be harsher and more meaningful. The target of the attack is especially the people who carry the identity of free press. We see that the attacks against these friends are even more severe. We know that the reason for this is that Kurdish journalists reveal many events that have been kept hidden recently with their news items.”
Roza Metina: “These attacks are also attacks on democracy”
Roza Metina, President of the Mezopotamy Women Journalists Association (MKGD), stated that every free press worker should be able to freely do news coverage in the field, express their thoughts freely and practice their profession. Stating that these attacks are also an attack on freedom of opinion, freedom of information and democracy, Metina said, “If journalists are facing attacks in a country today, it means that there is no democracy in that country, there is no freedom of thought.”