Challenges of journalism under police violence and intervention at demonstrations voicing societal demands discussed at panel attended by journalists Eylem Nazlıer, İzel Sezer and Ülkü Şahin, lawyer for the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS)

The Expression Interrupted platform has held an online discussion, focusing on police intervention that poses a threat against the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of assembly and the press and the safety of journalists. The discussion was moderated by Meltem Akyol, while Evrensel newspaper reporter Eylem Nazlıer, İleri Haber editor-in-chief İzel Sezer and Ülkü Şahin, a lawyer with the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), joined as speakers.

Although a General Directorate of Security circular, issued on 27 April 2021 to ban filming of police officers at demonstrations, was suspended by the Council of State, journalists continue to be targeted by the police in almost all demonstrations. Demonstrations and marches, which are intended to express societal demands, appear in the news more for the violence inflicted on demonstrators and journalists following the event, rather than the demands they try to voice.

İzel Sezer, editor-in-chief of İleri Haber, emphasized that the circular, which bans taking photographs and recordings at demonstrations on grounds of “violation of privacy,” is being used as a cover for censorship. “The Security Directorate circular was published with the aim of preventing filming of police who commit crimes. They tried to cover up many interventions, from torture to maltreatment," she said.

“Impunity escalates violence”

Sezer stated that police intervention in the street tends to target newspapers, which publish critical news and journalists who work for these organizations, adding: “Newspapers with an anti-goverment agenda and journalists working for these organisations are being marked as targets, whether in the street or the courtroom, or as in the Evrensel example, via the prohibition on publishing official announcements. The first things law enforcement officers ask when we encounter them during demonstrations and if they don’t know us are ‘Where do you work?’ and ‘Who are you?’”

On 31 May, the anniversary of Gezi Park protests, nine journalists who were covering the demonstration were beaten and six journalists were taken under arrest with handcuffs behind the back. Professional organisations filed an official complaint against the unlawful interventions experienced by journalists, however, Governor of İstanbul Ali Yerlikaya would not permit an investigation to be launched into the police officers on the grounds that the officers could not be detected.

Sezer stated that Governor Yerlikaya’s decision would encourage attacks against journalists and added: “During the anniversary of Gezi Park protests on 31 May outside the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), six journalists were arrested. Although we have videos and photographs proving the violence, the Governor of İstanbul decided that there was no need for a court case against the police officers. Despite the obvious use of violence, Ali Yerlikaya preventing a lawsuit against the police officers very clearly spells out that they favour impunity. The level of violence further escalates with each penalty not imposed.”

“The public should look out for journalists”

Sezer also talked about methods against safety issues of journalists who experience police intervention during reporting come across, and stated that the public should look out for journalists and therefore their right to obtaining information: “We have to constantly look out for each other in the field. We share the addresses and location of places we go to for reporting. This way, we try to avoid violence. Although we’re there to make news, we ourselves become the news. We experience violence and when we express this issue, we are accused of ‘stealing others’ roles’, especially on social media. While trying to record police violence, you yourself get assaulted. When you make this public, you are accused of stealing others’ roles and putting yourself forward. Our purpose in being there is to record the violence which is also being inflicted on others. This is our job and while doing it, we get assaulted. The public should look out for the press. Because the interventions we experience consist not only of violence but also of threats. Journalists are being threatened and this is a security issue. We refrain from making this public so as to not overshadow the news itself. We are forced to do our jobs constantly worrying about this. Yes, we chose to become journalists. But let us not forget that we are doing our jobs for the public good.”

“At some demonstrations I feel like I am on a battlefield”

Citing her experiences at demonstrations, Evrensel newspaper reporter Eylem Nazlıer said that violence against journalists is increasing with each passing day. She added:

“I have been a journalist for six years. Over these six years, violence has increased in severity. Before, the police did not intervene against every demonstration. We could foresee which demonstrations the police would intervene against. But now, we cannot make out which demonstrations will attract an intervention. Police may break up even a short press announcement. Intervention occurs at the demonstration by healthcare workers against violence. We are prevented from making recordings. First the crowd gets encircled. We are escorted outside the circle. Then, they form barriers in front of us with shields. They try to prevent us from obtaining images by raising their shields.

“At some demonstrations I feel like I am on a battlefield. On a battlefield you could know where you stand. But here, you cannot be sure where the risks lie. The police may trip you up or kick you while you leave the area. You may fall if you are tripped up. You may hit and hurt your head. They sometimes push you into the traffic as you leave the area. We sometimes encounter risks like these. In recent months, there was much destruction in Tokatköy for so-called urban transformation. The press was not allowed in the area. They did not allow us to record any form of images. However, we somehow managed to enter the area. I fell and cut my leg while coming down from some higher parts of apartments buildings. We practice journalism under very difficult and tough conditions.”

“Security forces that inflict violence are being rewarded”

“During the International Day of Peace on 1 September, I recorded the Deputy Director General of Security insulting a woman. He saw me recording. He wanted me to delete the recording. Just then some fellow journalists arrived. If they had not shown up, he would either delete the recording or arrest me. I published the recording on my social media account. Two months later, I searched him up to see whether any action had been taken against him and saw that he had been promoted to first class police chief despite the videos. He was the person who previously said, ‘look down’ during the Boğaziçi University demonstrations. He was a police chief who took people into custody with torture. Despite this, he was rewarded. Security forces intentionally inflict violence while on camera because they know that they will be rewarded for their actions.

“Suspension of the security directorate circular did not stop the police. Because they know they would not get in trouble in any way. During the anniversary of Gezi Park protests on 31 May outside TMMOB, I told police officers that I was a journalist and wanted to leave the area. They know everything about us from which organisation we work for down to our names, but they did not let me leave the area. They all know us, they can identify us. Let us not debate whether [the police] are sure about us being journalists and lay that question to rest. They know us all. Outside TMMOB, journalists were encircled by the police. While leaving the police circle, they tripped us up, knowing that we could not record from the ground. I fell, luckily, a friend of ours was there and they held me.”

“Intervention at demonstrations varies according to the institution where you work”

“We could discuss whether it was the right thing to do, but I have never filed an official complaint. Because I am constantly face to face with police officers at demonstrations. You may call it fear. I refrained from filing a complaint fearing that they would not let me work or they would build up personal enmity against me. Many journalist friends I work with who cover demonstrations do not file complaints because they know that nothing would come out from a complaint, and they do not wish to come up against the police. The result would be documented, but no investigation is launched. Many friends working at anti-government press organisations encounter such attacks.

“Intervention at demonstrations varies according to the institution where you work. They behave differently to reporters from the [state-run] Anadolu Agency, because they know they will not be broadcasting images the police do not wish to be broadcasted. On the other hand, they know fully well that we will publish a rights violation if there is any. Because of this, police attitude towards us is much harsher than colleagues working for the mainstream media.

“The Security Directorate Circular was an attempt to legally cover up the existing situation”

TGS attorney Ülkü Şahin stated that the Security Directorate Circular, which was suspended by the Council of State, was an attempt to legally cover up the situation existing on the site: “For almost four years, I have been providing legal support to journalists at TGS. Since I started working here, there has been no change to journalists’ applications for police violence, before or after the issuing of the security directorate circular. Because the security directorate circular was an in fact an attempt to legally cover up the situation existing on the ground. It was used to justify the obstruction of journalists by the police. This circular was issued not specifically for journalists, it covers all citizens, but was applied only to journalists, contrary to what the Minister of the Interior [Süleyman Soylu] had previously said.

“The circular was based on the pretext of ‘the right to privacy.’ It was as if the police have the right to privacy in public space. Journalists and citizens can certainly record a public official who holds the power to use force in public space. The underlying purpose of the circular was the government’s attempt to prevent police violence from appearing in the news and to hide these violent incidents from the public.”

“The police are more and more encouraged by decisions not to prosecute”

Şahin underlined that the police continue to intervene against journalists despite the suspension of the circular. Şahin stressed the need for journalists filing official complaints against the unlawful interventions by the police despite the policy of impunity: “The police are more and more encouraged by decisions not to prosecute. However, we file criminal complaints even if we know that they would result in impunity. This is a way [out] and we must use it to the end, we must place the incidents on the record. High court rulings for journalists who persistently follow up on the process and file official complaints set precedents. In all official complaints, we refer to these decisions. Following up on the process till the end without giving up in despair is of utmost importance for the future of journalism. We must appeal to legal remedies when we have them at hand. Failing this, we put incidents in reports, national and international press organisations record these incidents; but the level of pressure and violence inflicted on the press cannot be understood by the public or any governing party without voicing the threats journalists face.”

Şahin stated that the public must look out for journalists to protect their right to information and added, “It is not just about physical interventions against journalists. The public is then left without access to the news. Ultimately, the public should look out journalists and journalists should work for the public good. Recently, the level of violence has escalated due to the approaching election and the deepening economic crisis. The history of the press in Turkey shows that ever since the publication of the first newspaper, violence escalated whenever the government in power faced a crisis. It is a state tradition. This tradition will continue regardless of the government in power. At this point, it is of utmost importance that the public should look out for journalists and journalists should work for the public good.”