Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Action To End Police Brutality Against Journalists
Location: Turkey
Date: July 28, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 TürkçeThe CFWIJ recognizes police violence in Turkey as one of the most urgent issues. Our monitoring and research in the last two years has shown a consistent rise in physical police violence against journalists covering various issues in the country, and particularly a rise in violence against women journalists.
We demand an end to the systematic police violence that deliberately targets journalists in Turkey. In a country that claims to respect and protect democracy and the free press, journalists must be able to do their job without feeling threatened.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) continues to follow the direct targeting of journalists and the disproportionate use of force against women journalists who follow events in the country. We consider the latest events quite alarming and we are deeply concerned about the physical assaults women journalists have suffered.
Since the beginning of 2021, CFWIJ has recorded at least 44 women journalists subjected to police violence in Turkey. Three women journalists' had their houses raided and were detained for their journalistic activities. At least 13 female reporters were detained while following events in the field. Many of them were exposed to verbal harassment by the police at the same time as those cases.
The latest incident, which took place on the first day of the sacrificial Eid on July 20, 2021, proved the escalating police brutality in the country. Journalists following the commemoration for those killed in the Suruç Massacre were not only besieged by the police, but also faced severe physical violence that amounted to injury. CFWIJ took immediate action and recorded at least eight women journalists who were physically assaulted by the police force.
As seen in other years, women journalists face police violence almost every day in Turkey. In comparison to the cases we recorded in 2020, violence against women journalists has sharply increased by 170.14% this year.
In 2021, Evrensel Newspaper’s Ayşen Şahin was among the journalists whose house was raided and detained for following the student protests at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. Another one was Pınar Gayıp. The reason behind her detention was working for the opposition news outlet Etkin News Agency (ETHA). Jinnews reporter Beritan Canözer remained in custody for four days because of her journalistic coverage.
The safety of women journalists is currently under threat. Women journalists were not only subject to the disproportionate force of the police in the field, but they were also detained. The outlet cards of most women journalists were not accepted as press ID because they were not approved by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications. With this pretext, the police intervened in the field, and the journalists were easily detained.
With the directive initiated by the General Directorate of Security (EGM) on April 27, 2021, it became nearly impossible for journalists to do their job. It paved the way for the direct intervention of journalists filming and the social movements they followed.
Women journalists no longer feel safe in the field, the places they work, or their homes. Being beaten by the police, unwarranted raids, verbal and physical harassment, the possibility of damaged equipment, and widespread detentions make it exceedingly difficult for journalists to do their job.
CFWIJ invites everyone to join our campaign to raise awareness about this issue and to help us support women journalists. Join us in saying enough is enough to the police violence that is instigated by what we observe to be state oppression and extends into the justice system of the country. While we demand women journalists be free and safe, we would like to invite everyone to support women journalists and sign the petition to create social awareness with the hashtag #WeAreNotSafe.
Signatories:
Kiran Nazish, Founding Director at CFWIJ
Damla Tarhan, Operations Manager at CFWIJ
Ceren İskit, Research Coordinator at CFWIJ
Aimun Faisal, Research Coordinator at CFWIJ
Ayesha Khalid, Researcher at CFWIJ
Ali Şeker, Member of Parliament
Erol Katırcıoğlu, Member of Parliament
Filiz Kerestecioğlu, Member of Parliament
Oya Ersoy, Member of Parliament
Saliha Sera Kadıgil Sütlü, Member of Parliament
Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç, Member of Parliament
Turan Aydogan, Member of Parliament
Utku Çakırözer, Member of Parliament
Zeynel Özen, Member of Parliament
Serpil Kemalbay, Politician, Former HDP Co-Chair
Progressive Journalists Association (PJA)
DİSK Basın-İş
Erol Önderoğlu, RSF (Reporters Without Borders)
Gülfem Karataş, Member of TGS Women and LGBTI+ Commission
Özgür Öğret, Committee to Protect Journalists
Sanar Yurdatapan, IFoX / Initiative for Freedom of Expression
Adnan Bilen, Journalist
Ahmet Dilekçi, Retired Journalist
Ayşegül Kaplan, Journalist, Kozmopolitik
Ayşegül Özbek, Journalist, Bianet
Ayşen Şahin, Journalist, Evrensel Newspaper
Ayşenur Arslan, Journalist, Halk TV
Bahattin Seçil, Journalist, Newspaper Patika
Banu Güven, Journalist
Berna Kishin, Journalist, Mesopotamia Agency
Buse Söğütlü, Journalist, Gazete Yolculuk
Büşra Taşkıran, Journalist
Can Dündar, Journalist
Canan Kaya, Journalist, Medya Koridoru
Candan Yildiz, Journalist
Ceylan Bulut, Journalist, Sendika.Org
Ceylan Şahinli, Journalist, Mesopotamia Agency
Çağlar Tekin, Journalist
Demet ARAN, Journalist
Derya Saadet, Journalist, Sendika.Org
Dilek Atlı, Journalist
Dilek Dindar, Journalist
Dilek İçten, Journalist, Media and Migration Association
Durket Süren, Journalist, Eva Production
Elif Cetiner, Journalist, Artı TV
Elif Ekin Saltık, Journalist, Evrensel Newspaper
Elif Ünal, Journalist, Yeşil Gazete
Emre Orman, Journalist
Erdinç Ergenç, Journalist, Mergermarket
Erdogan Alayumat, Journalist
Esra Tokat, Journalist, Dokuz8News
Eylem Nazlıer, Journalist, Evrensel Newspaper
Fatoş Erdoğan, Journalist, Dokuz8News
Filiz Zeyrek, Journalist, Jinnews
Füsun Erdoğan, Journalist, Jin TV
Gözde Çağrı Özköse, Journalist, Mesopotamia Agency
Gülbahar Altaş, Journalist, Independent Turkish Service
Habibe Eren, Journalist, Jinnews
Hamide Rencüzoğulları, Journalist
İrem Afşin, Journalist, Medyascope
Izel Sezer, Journalist, İleri Haber
Mag Wompel, Journalist, LabourNet Germany
Mehveş Evin, Journalist, Kısa Dalga
Melike Aydın, Journalist, Jinnews
Melis Alphan, Journalist
Monia Minnucci, Journalist, Cittadina Italiana
Murat İnceoğlu, Journalist, Gazete Duvar
Musa Özuğurlu, Journalist
Nazan Özcan, Journalist, Bianet
Ogün Akkaya, Journalist
Öznur Değer, Journalist, Jinnews
Paola Rosà, Journalist, OBC Transeuropa
Pervin Yerlikaya, Journalist, Yeni Özgür Politika
Pınar Gayıp, Journalist, ETHA
Rojin Altay, Journalist, Mesopotamia Agency
Roman Dietinger, Journalist, Unsere Zeitung
Ruken Demir, Journalist
Seda Balmumcu, Journalist, BirGün Newspaper
Seda Taşkın, Journalist, Artı TV
Serbeze Haxhiaj, Journalist, RTK
Songül Altuntaş, Journalist
Sultan Eylem Keleş, Journalist, Artı TV
Tim Smith, Journalist, Brandon Sun
Tuba Altunkaya, Journalist, Euronews
Tuğçe Biçer, Journalist, ANKA News
Turgut Dedeoğlu, Cameraman, Artı TV
Vedat Örüç, Journalist
Yadigar Aygün, Journalist, Gazete Karınca
Yağmur Kaya, Journalist, Artı Gerçek
Fatma Yörür, Amnesty Turkey
Zale Karademir, Journalist
Zeynep Erdim, Journalist, BBC
Zeynep Kuray, Journalist, BirGün and Fırat News Agency
Zülal Koçer, Journalist
Zeliha Midilli, Retired Journalist
Eren Siverek, Camera Operator, Red Advertisement
Sibel Tekin, Documentary Filmmaker - Video Activist
Ceren Sözeri, Academician
Hakan Koçak, Academician
Nilgün Çekin, Academician
Özgür Müftüoğlu, Academician
Pınar Dağ, Academician
Günçe Balçın, Lawyer
Hülya Gülbahar, Lawyer
Şenal Sarıhan, Lawyer
Ayşegül Göktaş, Teacher
Ebru Özkan, Teacher
Elif Savaşcı Alparda, Teacher
Emre Şolt, Teacher
Fatma Deniz, Teacher
Hülya Altuğ, Teacher
Michael Knapp, Teacher
Pelin Erkoç, Teacher
Bengül Gölge, Doctor
Füsun Düzcan, Doctor
Gizem Yavuz, Doctor
İlknur Aktaş, Doctor
Mine Ergelen, Doctor
Tuğba Baş, Doctor
Gizem Karan, Vet
Gül Gülgönen, Eczacıbaşı Health Services
Bülent Atamer, Engineer
Derya Kip, Textile Engineer
Memet Ali Doruk, Softwre Engineer
Erdoğan Aslan, Insurance Sales Person
Hicran Altundal, Insurance Sales Person
Olcay Yedikızanlı, Insurance Sales Person
Gülnur Gümüş Sümer, Banker
İsmail Demir, Graphic Designer
Seda Çetin, Entrepreneur
Burcu Bingöllü, NGO staff
Nalan Sönmez, Accountant
Pelin Gümüş, Manager
Yeşim Demirasal, Manager
Arzu Erten, Student
Beyzanur Alanbay, Student
Dilek Ergün, Student
Hacer Bakır, Student
Kerim Küçük, Student
Pınar Sungur, Student
Birsen Küçüktoy, Retired
Neval Dalçık, Retired
Serpil Gönüllü, Retired
Seval Eser, Retired
Şaziye Aydoğan, Retired
Özge Elif Salttürk, Housewife
Baronchelli Federico
Christopher Wilkner
Gülten Tekinay
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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.