Turkey: 12 Women Journalists' Right To Report Was Violated – CFWIJ Condemns Police Brutality Against Women Journalists
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: September 7, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
12 women journalists were beaten by the police force while following the student protest in İstanbul. Police confiscated their press IDs and also impeded journalists from filming police brutality against students. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the violation of journalists' right to report. We demand an immediate return of the seized press cards.
The impact of Prof. Dr. Student Melih Bulu's appointment as a rector continues at Boğaziçi University. After Melih Bulu’s resignation, the new rector became Prof. Dr. Naci İnci. On September 6 (yesterday) two students were arrested after lodging a criminal complaint signed by the new rector. Thereafter, the students gathered to protest the arrests, and police detained and were beaten at least 14 students. Meanwhile, the journalists were at the scene following the events. However, police attacked the journalists as well as students. Journalists’ right to report was violated. Also, police barred and beat them at the same time. At least 12 women journalists were subjected to police violence during their news coverage. Their press cards were confiscated.
Meral Danyıldız (ARTI TV), Fatoş Erdoğan (Dokuz8Haber), Yağmur Kaya (Artı Gerçek), Pınar Gayip (ETHA), Ceylan Bulut (Sendika.Org), Zeynep Kuray, Gaye Can (ANKA), Hüda Aslan (KRT), Özge Doğan (Yol TV), Dilek Şen (Bianet), Şükran Şençekiçer (Medyascope), Tuğba Özer (Cumhuriyet Newspaper) were the ones who were among the journalists taken into the barrier.
According to Artı Gerçek’s reporter, Yağmur Kaya journalists were prevented from filming the incidents. Journalists were also threatened by the police and barred with riot shields. Yağmur's press card was confiscated. Although she repeatedly requested the return of her press card, security forces did not give it back.
“Being an independent journalist is like being on the battlefield” Yağmur Kaya
Regarding unfolding events, “Doing independent journalism in Turkey is like being in a conflict zone. While journalists cannot be interfered with even on the battlefield, we, journalists, are always obstructed while following the protesters to use their democratic right to protest,” said Yağmur to the CFWIJ
Kolluk GBT yapmak üzere aldığı basın kartımı ısrarla istememe rağmen vermiyor. Kolluk gazetecileri müdahele etmekle tehdit ediyor. Kalkanlarla abluka altına alınmış durumdayız. Öğrencilerin kampüs önünde bekleyişi devam ediyor.
— Yağmur Kaya (@yagmurkaya88) October 7, 2021
“We are just simply trying to do our job” Ceylan Bulut
Sendika.Org reporter Ceylan Bulut also pointed to the CFWIJ that the police prevented the press and they were only able to get out of the blockade with the intervention of opposing parties. “We were physically assaulted and they [police] said that we entered their security area and that we could take their weapons and use them against them. Whereas we were just simply trying to do our job,” she said.
#Türkiye: 12 kadın gazeteci #BoğaziçiÜniversitesi öğrenci eylemini takip ederken polis tarafından darp edildi. Gazetecilerin basın kartlarına el konuldu. #CFWIJ gazetecilerin basın kartlarının derhal iade edilmesini talep ediyor. Gazetecilerin haber yapma hakkı ihlal edilemez. pic.twitter.com/OHPunsmJNk
— #WomenInJournalism (@CFWIJ) October 7, 2021
“A journalist's effort to film the events. It's like grabbing a corner" Tuğba Özer
Cumhuriyet reporter Tuğba Özer took to her Twitter account and shared the impediment against them with a video. She quoted, “A journalist's effort to film the events. It's like grabbing a corner".
Bir gazetecinin görüntü alma çabası. Köşe kapmaca gibi #Boğaziçi pic.twitter.com/4Nc6TVR2ia
— Tuğba Özer (@tugbaaozerr) October 7, 2021
Journalists were beaten by the police force
Dokuz8Haber reporter Fatoş Erdoğan and journalist Zeynep Kuray were subjected to harsh police intervention. Journalists were beaten by the police force.
Previously, journalists were physically assaulted at Boğaziçi University while following the student protests. Reporters of Dokuz8Haber and Artı Gerçek were detained during the protests.
🔴Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'de iki öğrencinin tutuklanmasını protesto için yapılan eylem öncesi polis müdahale etti.
— dokuz8HABER (@dokuz8haber) October 7, 2021
👉Boğaziçi Dayanışması'nın çağrısıyla Güney Kapı önüne gelen öğrenciler gözaltına alınırken, polis gazetecileri engellemeye çalıştı.#dokuz8/@puleragema pic.twitter.com/k1TvOjj433
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.