Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: August 4, 2021

Available in: 🇹🇷  Türkçe

Journalist Berna Kışın was deliberately targeted by the pro-government Memleket Newspaper, following her coverage of the assassination of seven people in the same family in Konya. The news outlet alleged that the journalist wrote a pro-terrorist story. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the news outlet targeting the journalist. As the coalition, we stand in solidarity with Berna. No journalist should be targeted as a result of the coverage they do.

Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Berna Kişin, who reported on the assassination of seven people in the same family as a result of an armed attack in Meram district of Konya, was targeted by the pro-government news outlet Konya Memleket Newspaper. The news claimed that the incident in Konya was turned into racist propaganda in which Berna did the coverage. The news also alleged that the journalist organized a smear campaign about the horrific incident.

The news said, "the reporter encouraged a conflict using a simple security incident". Memleket Newspaper also wrote that the journalist was lying. "The village that Berna Kişin mentioned, whose lies were revealed by different methods, is not in Konya. The Çarıklıköy mentioned in the news is located in Niğde. The district on which Kişin bases her lies is the Meram district of Konya. But the incident took place in the Çumra district of Konya,” the newspaper included.

Seven members of the Dedeoğulları family, who had been the target of racist attacks in Konya's Meram district, were killed as a result of an armed attack on July 30. The gunmen set fire to the house and fled after the incident. Ten of the perpetrators were arrested. The main suspect of the murderer who carried out the armed attack was caught five days after the incident.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the Konya Memleket Newspaper targeting journalist Berna Kişin. Journalists are obliged to inform the public and Berna has fulfilled her journalistic responsibilities. Targeting someone can cause severe consequences for journalists. Therefore, we urge Turkish authorities to take security measures regarding this event and ensure journalist’s safety.

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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