Turkey: Neşe İdil Harassed And Threatened Online For Calling Attention To Rising Femicide
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: November 26, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Duvar English editor Neşe İdil was targeted by an online harassment campaign and threatened after she reported on the rape and murder of a 16- year-old girl. For arguing that the horrific crime be viewed in light of rising femicide in the country and not merely reduced to the nationality of the alleged perpetrator, the journalist was targeted online by vile, gendered and racist abuse. Neşe also faced threats over her reporting on migrants. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the harassment of Neşe and calls for an immediate investigation into the threats against her. Online attacks, especially against women, quickly manifest into physical abuse and violence. The Turkish authorities must ensure the safety of the journalist and take swift action against the threats against her.
Duvar English editor Neşe İdil was targeted online over her coverage about the death of 16-year-old Ayşegül Aydın, who was injured in an attempted rape by an Afghan refugee on July 12 in Kocaeli. The journalist was threatened with sexual assault because of the story she revealed.
Neşe took to her Twitter account that the threats she received had reached a severe level. In a statement, the editor said, “I don't know what to say, "my price" is being asked under the cover of the funding issue, as well as the threats and sexual assault wishes I have received for days.”
Stating that she had been threatened in a similar way before, “A screenshot keeps coming back. In the current situation Turkey is in, the threat of being declared "enemy of the Turks" is dangerous in itself. The content in the screenshot is in English and has nothing to do with Turkish hostility, but it is such a state of insanity that just seeing it is enough,” she said.
The journalist said in an interview with Bianet that she had received similar threats as a result of her messages of solidarity towards refugees. Expressing her discomfort after a politician who made a racist comment against refugees shared a photo from Istanbul, Neşe received many threatening messages on this comment. Stating that the attacks were not just an online smear campaign, the journalist described what happened to her as "another attack that was organized".
The journalist filed a criminal complaint against previous attacks, and added that she will file another one for the current attacks as well.
The CFWIJ follows the attacks against the journalist with the utmost concern and extends solidarity with Neşe İdil. We demand the Turkish authorities to initiate an investigation into the attacks immediately. We urge that online harassment can cause extremely dangerous consequences. For that reason, we wish the perpetrators to be found swiftly and the necessary criminal sanctions applied.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.