Turkey: Another Investigation Opened Against Journalist Berivan Altan Over Her Journalistic Coverage About A Racist Attack On Kurdish Family
Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: June 3, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
An investigation has been opened against Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Berivan Altan over journalistic coverage of a racist attack on a Kurdish family in Ankara. Berivan is accused of inciting hatred for featuring the story. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the legal harassment of Berivan for her journalistic activities. These trials and investigations are carried out to intimidate journalists and it is unacceptable.
An investigation has been opened against MA reporter Berivan Altan because she reported on a Kurdish family that was subjected to racist attacks in Ankara. Within the scope of the investigation initiated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the journalist was summoned to give a statement about the story she featured entitled "Racist attack on Kurdish family in Ankara: Women and their children were expelled from the neighborhood".
According to MA, the investigating prosecutor asked Berivan whether she received instructions from anyone and the logistics of the news. The journalist stated that she received the information from one of her sources and then she went to the location for an interview. The journalist went to Elmadağ, where the incident took place and talked to the family. “In the content of the news, there is nothing that will cause hatred and enmity among the public. Since I thought it was a violation of rights, I brought such an event to the agenda by reporting. While I was writing this news, I did not receive any opinion or suggestion from anyone. The coverage is entirely my own,” she said in her statement.
The CFWIJ noted that only this week, two female journalists were investigated on the grounds of their professional activities. Journalist Rabia Çetin also went to give a statement on May 31, due to the social media post she retweeted on Twitter. Allegedly the journalist was accused of "targeting a counter-terrorism official".
Such legal harassment is a product of policies implemented to intimidate and silence journalists and is unacceptable. We demand that Turkish authorities drop all charges against journalists immediately. Journalism is not a crime.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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