Turkey: Increased Public Violence Against Journalists, Melek Fırat Latest Victim — Journalists’ Safety Must Be Protected
Location: Turkey, Aydın
Date: March 31, 2023Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalist Melek Fırat and three of her colleagues were attacked by relatives of suspects following a drug operation outside a courthouse. The journalists' phones and cameras were damaged. CFWIJ condemns the increasing public violence against journalists.
Relatives of drug operation suspects attacked journalist Melek Fırat — who works for the Aydın Manşet newspaper — and three other journalists while filming outside the courthouse. The assailants damaged their cameras, a phone, and other equipment.
The attackers threatened Melek Fırat. "I will not forget this woman's face," they reportedly said, and "I will cut off her head".
The police intervened. Fırat and her colleagues filed complaints of threat and insult, but the attackers were released shortly after.
Journalists' Union shows support for journalists
After the incident, Aydın Journalists' Union released a message condoning the attack. and wishing a speedy recovery to the journalists involved.
"It should not be forgotten that our colleagues were attacked while reporting in the ineterest of the public., This is constitutionally guaranteed for freedom of news and information for society. We would like to address security forces as well. The safety of suspects and their relatives is as important as the safety of our colleagues. Police shouldn’t neglect security measures to protect journalists performing their duties related to judicial and public security issues. As Aydın Journalists' Union, we will follow up on the issue."
Second attack against journalists at the same courthouse
Bianet, a Turkish news agency, reported this is the second attack in three months at the same courthouse. On January 13, 2023, relatives of drug operation suspects — not related to the current case — beat journalists Murat Uçkaç and Kıymet Sarıyıldız. The journalists filed complaints against attackers.
A new trend? Public violence against journalists
The majority of violence against journalists recorded by CFWIJ in Turkey since 2019 is legal harassment and police violence.
According to CFWIJ's annual report, at least 50 female journalists were tried for their professional activities in 2022, and at least 47 female journalists were subjected to physical violence by the police.
Although threats against journalists are common, violence from the public has been relatively rare. Journalists were able to carry out their work without fear of violence from the public. In some cases, regular people assisted journalists when they were attacked by the police. This was a period when the public generally recognized the importance of journalists and respected their role in society.
However, in 2023, the situation started to shift. In February, journalists documenting the debris after Turkey experienced devastating earthquakes were subjected to verbal and physical violence from regular people. At least seven female journalists became victims of public violence.
Speaking to CFWIJ, journalist Ceren İskit says she worries that this is part of a new trend related to the eroding trust in media.
"The current state of journalism is becoming increasingly uncertain and risky. Police violence is normalized. This is a very dangerous approach. We need to do our job freely without being exposed to any kind of violence, neither in the newsroom nor in the field."
Iskit acknowledges the need for journalists to be cautious of potential threats and violence, not only from the police but also from the public.
"We can no longer limit ourselves to discussing police violence alone," she says. "We've seen in the earthquake zones that it could potentially even reach the level of attempted murder." She stresses that it's crucial that criminal sanctions are enforced immediately to hopefully also "serve as a deterrent.”
Gülbahar Altaş, a journalist covering the earthquake zone, spoke to CFWIJ how she has been subjected to violence from the public.
“What I found especially surprising was that children under 18 attacked us with knives while we were filming,” she says.
Altaş attributed this situation to the attitude of politicians towards journalists, which resonates in society.
"When people see politicians and those in power treating journalists differently based on which organization they work for at press conferences, this attitude is reflected in society,” Altaş tells CFWIJ. “Journalists, who are always seen as scapegoats for this kind of violence and discrimination, are the ones who suffer the consequences."
CFWIJ believes that the integrity of journalism, which has been damaged by police and state, needs to be rebuilt, and a culture of respect for journalists needs to be developed. We believe that pressure and violence against journalists by governments encourages the public to engage in similar behaviors. In such an environment, we are even more concerned about the safety of journalists who already practice their profession under difficult conditions. 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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.