Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: April 20, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

Journalists Serpil Ünal and Kardelen Yoğungan were detained for covering the press statement held by Sinbo workers who were dismissed because of their union membership in Istanbul. The journalists were released after their statements were taken. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns police violence against journalists in Turkey. We demand the Turkish authorities to end these vicious attacks against journalists.

Police intervened the workers who protested and attempted to make a press statement about the dismissed factory workers with Code-29, which applied new sanctions to expel workers from their work during the pandemic process, near the Sinbo Factory in Istanbul. The police detained five people, including three journalists after the press statement giving an excuse of Covid-19 restrictions in the country. Journalists, Kızıl Bayrak’s Kardelen Yoğungan and Mücadele Birliği reporter Serpil Ünal, were released shortly after their statements were taken.

Journalists are prevented because of their journalistic coverages and revealing the truth in Turkey. Especially female journalists working in the field are detained and being subjected to police violence. Since the beginning of 2021, CFWIJ has documented at least 12 women journalists who were detained across the country solely for doing their jobs.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the detention of our colleagues Kardelen Yoğungan and Serpil Ünal. One of the most basic duties of journalism is to inform the public and to reveal the stories about the truth. We urge the Turkish authorities to respect journalists and to implement policies that comply with press freedom. We reiterate once again journalism is not a crime.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.

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