Turkey: CFWIJ Demands Turkey To End Police Violence Against Journalists Immediately
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 8, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Dokuz8News reporter Fatoş Erdoğan was subjected to police violence while covering the International Women’s Day rally in Istanbul. The journalist was verbally and physically harassed while doing her job. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is utterly dismayed by the violations against journalists in Turkey. We demand the Turkish state to end police violence and provide a free and safer environment attacking them instead.
On March 6, in İstanbul, during the International Women’s Day rally, police intervened the crowd and Dokuz8News reporter Fatoş Erdoğan was subjected to police violence. Fatoş was verbally and physically attacked. According to the news outlet, the police threatened the journalist.
Euronews Turkish service revealed a video indicating the police’s death threat against Fatoş. It can be seen that while the journalist was covering the demonstration and the detentions, police verbally and physically attacked her. Also, the police officer threatened the journalist by saying “I would tear you up into pieces”.
This brutal attack is not Dokuz8News reporter’s first time. Fatoş Erdoğan exposed the police violence while reporting on protests of the Youth Movement in Istanbul on October 25. While reporting and filming the demonstration, police attacked and attempted to detain Fatos Erdogan, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Deputy Musa Piroglu prevented the journalist’s detention. As a result of police violence, Fatos Erdogan’s shirt was torn.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the violence perpetrated by security forces against journalists on International Women’s Day (IWD). We keep a close eye on the IWD events taking place across Turkey. We call upon the Turkish state to end violations against journalists. Instead of intervening with journalists by attacking and threatening them, we demand the authorities provide a free and safer environment for journalists to do their job.
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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.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
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.