Turkiye: 5 Journalists Detained, Media Offices Searched in Escalating Attack on Kurdish Press
January 17, 2025 - Turkiye, Istanbul, Van
Police detain five journalists— Reyhan Hacıoğlu (Van), Rahime Karvar, Necla Demir, Welat Ekin & Ahmet Güneş (Istanbul)—in morning raids on their homes and media offices. Officers threatened them & seized digital materials, while production offices Martı & Güncel in Istanbul were searched for hours.
This crackdown is part of a growing pattern of systematic repression, with the Kurdish press facing relentless persecution. Women Press Freedom condemns these detentions and demands their immediate and unconditional release.
Police detain five journalists— Reyhan Hacıoğlu (Van), Rahime Karvar, Necla Demir, Welat Ekin & Ahmet Güneş (Istanbul)—in morning raids on their homes and media offices.
Israeli airstrike kills journalist and photographer Ahlam Al Nafed while she was walking to Al Shifa Hospital on January 14, 2025.
Police in Mersin beat and obstruct Fatoş Sarıkaya from filming, throwing her press card to the ground.
Mzia Amaghlobeli was detained twice in Batumi—first for posting a strike sticker, then during a protest. She’s now accused of assaulting a police chief, a charge carrying 4-7 years imprisonment
Four men, claiming to be police, abducted the journalist, restrained her, seized her phones, and demanded access to her accounts. She was held for four hours before being released.
Khanum Mustafayeva was barred from leaving Azerbaijan without explanation. Authorities at Baku airport cited a travel ban by the Ministry of Internal Affairs but gave no reasons.
Le Monde journalist faced a wave of online abuse, including sexist and anti-Semitic threats, following false accusations that she intruded on the funeral of a far-right leader - Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Three journalists were physically attacked while covering the tragic stabbing death of a 14-year-old teenager in Evreux.
Greek courts have upheld the conviction of Kurdish journalist Berçem Mordeniz, rejecting her appeal and sentencing her to seven months in prison, which was suspended.
Joanna Barboza was attacked while covering a protest in Zulia. During nationwide protests against Maduro’s re-election, security forces detained four journalists and assaulted six others.
Politician’s reckless rhetoric has fueled a wave of misogynistic and attacks against Giraldo on social media.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom welcome the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from detention in Iran.
Alona Bereza of ZHAR.INFO received emails threatening to bomb her editorial office.
An unnamed woman journalist from the "Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism" (JFDA) was assaulted in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
WPF celebrates the release of Ana da Silva Miguel (also known as Neth Nahara), the popular influencer jailed for criticizing President João Lourenço on TikTok.
Natuza Nery attacked in a São Paulo supermarket by civil police officer.
Shatha al-Sabbagh was fatally shot by a suspected sniper from Palestinian Authority (PA) forces while documenting the ongoing violence in Jenin on December 30, 2024.
WPF and the CFWIJ strongly condemn the unjust detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala by Iranian authorities. Cecilia Sala, an esteemed journalist known for her insightful reporting from conflicts, was arrested by Iranian authorities on December 19, 2024, in Tehran while conducting her work with a valid journalist visa.
Eliso Janashia was physically attacked by Nineli Kulonava, a supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Authorities launch an investigation into JİN News reporter Öznur Değer for "insulting a public official." Probe initiated after she stood up to a police officer’s sexist remarks during a protest in Mêrdîn against the killing of two Kurdish journalists in Syria.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched a criminal investigation against the independent news outlet T24 and journalist Seyhan Avşar.
Nine people, including seven journalists, were detained in Şişhane, Istanbul, while attempting to hold a press statement in memory of murdered Kurdish journalists Jihan Belki and Nazım Daştan.
Journalist Özlem Gürses was placed under house arrest on December 21, 2024 after comments on her YouTube channel were misinterpreted as criticism of the Turkish Armed Forces.
Police in Van attacked and detained journalists and activists protesting the killing of Kurdish journalists Jihan Belki and Nazim Dashdam in a Turkish drone strike in North Syria.
WPF is outraged by the Turkish drone strike that killed journalists Jihan Belkin and Nazim Dashdam near the Tishrin Dam, on the outskirts of Kobani. They were reporting on attacks on the dam when, according to local human rights groups, their vehicle was "directly" targeted.
On December 18, 2024, the Bishkek City Court upheld the sentences for several journalists involved in the Temirov Live case.
Journalist Çiğdem Akbayrak faces trial for "insulting the president" over a 2018 tweet criticizing Turkey's Afrin military operation. Despite the Constitutional Court ruling that the initial decision violated her rights, the case has been reopened.
While covering a protest in Mogadishu, Caabi was beaten with a pistol & stick, left with injuries to her head & hand, and forced into hiding.
Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz, a journalist at TVP, is suing former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for defamation after he falsely accused her of having ties to a Russian spy.
TV Pirveli journalist Nanuka Kajaia was threatened live on air in Tbilisi on December 17, 2024. A day earlier, in Batumi, Eter Turadze, editor of Batumelebi, was obstructed while covering a protest at the Constitutional Court.
