Turkey: CFWIJ Condemns Police Obstruction Of Journalists

Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: April 27, 2022

Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe

At least eight women journalists were obstructed by the police while following the protests of the verdict of the Gezi Trial. The journalists’ right to report was deliberately violated. The journalists were prevented from filming the events that took place in İstanbul. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) strongly condemns the escalating police brutality against journalists. All types of violence are unacceptable. 

On April 25, Osman Kavala, a leading philanthropist, was sentenced to life imprisonment for “attempting to overthrow the government by force” in connection with the Gezi Park anti-government protest in 2013. Also, seven activists were handed an 18-year prison sentence for allegedly assisting Kavala, immediately arrested, and sent to various prisons in İstanbul. 

Following the verdict, Taksim Solidarity, the platform was founded during the Gezi Park protests in 2013, called publicly to protest the final decision of the Turkish court. Hundreds of people gathered to protest the conviction of eight people who have been tried since 2013 over the phenomenal “Gezi Park” protests. After the press statement, police attacked the crowd in İstanbul and arrested at least 51 activists, according to the city’s governor. Meanwhile, journalists were also obstructed from filming and following the events in İstanbul. Uğur Taştan, a photojournalist, was among those arrested activists. He was released shortly after giving a statement to police officers.

Journalists who reacted to the police intervention and the detention of the photojournalist were beaten and prevented from filming the aforementioned developments. In a video shared on social media, the police officer responded to a journalist to “apply to the Constitutional Court”, for stating the obstruction from doing her job.  

According the records of CFWIJ, Elif Çetiner (TELE1), Sultan Eylem Keleş (TELE1), Gamze Elvan (Medyascope), Dilek Şen (Medyascope), Eda Nur Tanış (Medyascope), Eylem Nazlıer (Universal Newspaper), Fatoş Erdoğan (dokuz8haber), Evrim Kepenek (bianet) were among the journalists who exposed to police intervention.

gazeteci, halkın gerçekleri öğrenme hakkına hizmet eder. bu çok açık. ve yeni bir bilgi değil. aynı şeyleri anlatmaktan yorulduysak da, mesleğimizi savunmayı sürdüreceğiz.

@puleragema pic.twitter.com/BiyvZhpyx6

— dilek şen (@ddileksen) April 26, 2022

İstanbul'daki Gezi davası protestosunda yurttaşları gözaltına alan polisler, muhabirimiz @eylemnazlier'e de defalarca basın olduğunu söylemesine rağmen müdahale ettihttps://t.co/oobtIZIcrJ pic.twitter.com/cv1tiuYSKK

— Evrensel Gazetesi (@evrenselgzt) April 26, 2022

Among the female journalists recorded by CFWIJ and exposed to police intervention, Elif Çetiner (TELE1), Sultan Eylem Keleş (TELE1), Gamze Elvan (Medyascope), Dilek Şen (Medyascope), Eda Nur Tanış (Medyascope), Eylem Nazlıer (Universal Newspaper) , Fatoş Erdoğan (dokuz8haber), Evrim Kepenek (bianet).

Over the last years, reporting from the field especially covering protests became impossible for journalists. The escalating media crackdown bars journalists from reporting. Last year, the circular was issued by the Director-General of Security, which sparked harsh criticisms from journalists. It was also widely used by the police to prevent journalists from filming demonstrations and public events. However, on November 11, 2021, the State Council annulled the circular stating that it restricts the freedom of the press. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely follows the public events held in Turkey with great concern that pressures journalists from doing their job. The harsh policy interventions have reached an extremely dangerous level for journalists. We call on the Turkish security authorities to implement the Council of State decision and fulfill their duties to ensure journalists’ safety rather than hindering them. Journalists are obliged to report developments that concern the public benefit. Violation of neither the journalists' right to report nor the public's right to be informed is unacceptable. We reiterate that 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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