Turkey: Details Of Sibel Hürtaş’s Detention Revealed, “I Can’t Breathe”
Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: July 9, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Artı TV Ankara correspondent Sibel Hürtaş wrote an article on July 6 detailing her detention last week while following the bar association protest.
Sibel was detained on July 3rd in front of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on grounds of not following the social distancing rules and was released only after six hours. She had tweeted that she was ill-treated during her detention.
On Monday the journalist wrote an article on her detention, including the abhorrent details.
According to the article published on ArtıGerçek, Sibel Hürtaş was among a group of journalists who wanted to get past the police barrier and record the protest. Sibel was wearing her IFJ card identifying her as press when she was pushed away by a civil clothes policeman claiming “she didn’t have any business there”.
When Sibel insisted on reporting and went by the bar associations’ chairs she was taken to a police car. Opposition deputies rejected the detention by blocking the police car, yet one of the policemen yelled at the police car driver “run them over”.
On the way to the Kavaklıdere Police Station, a woman police officer who weighs around 100 kilos sat on and pushed her body weight on Sibel purposefully while she was warning the police that they were committing a crime [breaking of social distancing rules is not punishable by detention]. When Sibel yelled “I can’t breathe, you are going to kill me”, Sibel claims the policewoman covered Sibel’s mouth and nose and yelled: “die, die, I want you to die, you scum woman”.
The torturous acts Sibel suffered during the time she was kept under detention were reported by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. Sibel wrote in her article that she still feels pain around her torso, arms, and neck.
Coalition For Women In Journalism urges police authorities to obey the laws and international rules prohibiting torture. Turkey has a sad history of enforced disappearances and killed journalists under arrest. We are following the human rights abuses journalists face all around the world.
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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.
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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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