Turkey: Press Organisations And Journalists Called The Turkish Government “We Can’t Breathe”
Press organizations and journalists gathered to call the Turkish government to end police violence and intimidating policies against journalists across the country. In a joint statement journalists underlined the pressure they face and called it "We can't breathe". The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) joins this call. We demand the authorities provide an environment where journalists can freely do their jobs. Journalism is not a crime.
Following the police brutality of journalists at the LGBTI+ Pride in Istanbul, 15 press organizations and unions made a joint call today in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. The protests held at Ankara and Istanbul Governorates were followed by CFWIJ coordinators Damla Tarhan Durmuş and Ceren İskit.
The police did not allow the press briefing in Ankara however, journalists insisted on taking a place in Abdi İpekçi Park next to the Governor's Office. Head of the Ankara Branch of the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS), Esra Kocak Mayda, said, "Now, journalists face death threats while doing their job." Esra emphasized that violence against journalists is a committed crime instead and highlighted that nothing can silence the free press.
Today at İstanbul, AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılınç drew attention to what he experienced during the LGBTİ+ Pride and said, "There were many people who stood up for the violence I went through, but they couldn't cover what exactly happened there. Seeing this made me very upset.”
In the joint statement “It is a fundamental right of the journalist to follow and cover who seeks their rights in Turkey. Our colleagues have recently started to face severe violence while carrying out their duties. The situation is severely alarming.”
“Many journalists were beaten by the force in Taksim. They were detained, they were impeded from filming the scenes and the images they took were wanted to be deleted.”
On Saturday, June 26, AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılınç was attempted murder by laying him on the ground and pressing his neck. Bülent Kılınç could hardly say "I can't breathe", during the time and survived at the end.
George Floyd was deliberately killed with the same method by a police force in the US, causing outrage all over the world, the violence was taken as an example and this is deeply concerning all of us.
On the same day, other colleagues were also impeded from doing their jobs. Many of our colleagues were battered, harassed and forced to delete the images and videos they took. With these lawless practices, law enforcement forces prevent the public's right to learn the truth. These tactics are not only leaving our colleagues breathless, but also the public.
Journalism is not a crime and we will continue to do our job. We will never accept violence against journalists! We also urge officials who are considering persisting in these inhumane methods: Do not rely on impunity! We will not let you stifle journalism!”
TGS Ankara: If We Don't Say End Impunity, We Won’t Breathe Anymore
Speaking to CFWIJ TGS Ankara Branch President Esra Koçak Mayda said that the recent events took the breath of journalists. Emphasizing that journalists are being impeded in the escalating police violence, Esra underlined the harsh police brutality against Bülent Kılınç, as an "attempted murder". Esra pointed out that in Turkey, many journalists are legally harassed because of their journalistic coverages or their social media posts.
TGS Ankara President said, “Now we are losing our freedom. If we do not somehow stop this situation, this pressure will tighten and we will surely unable to breathe,"
Journalist Meral Danyıldız says “We Are Not Safe”
BirGün Newspaper reporter Meral Danyıldız said that journalists have been under pressure for a long time. “We, as journalists, do not feel safe. Impunity in Turkey is ongoing and it is deeply concerning what happened to Bülent. However, necessary measures must be taken to prevent this violence. Our safety is vital because, without us, no one can learn the truth. That's why I expect support from all press organizations," she spoke to CFWIJ.
Yağmur Kaya, the reporter of Artı Gerçek, said those press organizations are running late to take action. “Showing solidarity with today was important,” Yağmur added. "A joint statement is not enough; we need action beyond this to fight our rights. What happened to Bülent was an attempt to kill him. No criminal action has yet been taken against these officers. Democratic pressure must be taken to dismiss these barbarian police officers,” she continued. The journalist also emphasized that press organizations should not take action only prominent colleagues that all journalists face violence on the grounds.
CFWIJ Regional Coordinator: Physical Assault Against Women Journalists Nearly Doubled Comparing to Last Year
CFWIJ Regional Coordinator Damla Tarhan Durmuş said, “We, The Coalition For Women In Journalism, documented all kinds of threats and violence against women journalists. Especially since the beginning of this year, we observed a severe increase in the cases of physical assault against women journalists in Turkey. Mostly, female journalists were subjected to police violence while reporting in the field. Although it is only the first half of 2021, we have almost doubled the cases documented in all of 2020. This shows how dangerous the situation has become.”
#CFWIJ Regional Coordinator @damlaatarhann joined the protest in Istanbul in support of press freedom and civil liberties. pic.twitter.com/pDRduFIbDi
— #WomenInJournalism (@CFWIJ) June 29, 2021
CFWIJ Research Coordinator Ceren İskit, “Police violence against journalists in Turkey has become severely dangerous. The latest example was the LGBTI+ Pride in Istanbul. CFWIJ follows these unfortunate events with great concern. We urge the Turkish state that journalists have a public duty to do, and cannot be impeded. We demand the Turkish officials provide a safe environment for journalists to report freely.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the violence perpetrated by the current government and the police against journalists. We demand and reiterate that journalists must do their jobs freely in safe environments. Journalism is not a crime.
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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