Following the appointment of trustees to the municipalities of Êlih (Batman), Mêrdîn (Mardin) and Riha's (Urfa) Xalfetî (Halfeti) on November 4, protests took place in many places. 

Police repression and attacks against journalists covering the protests also continue. In Êlih, journalists covering the news were detained under torture, the most recent example being Veysi Akören, who works for Yeni Yaşam Newspaper in Êlih. He was intercepted, threatened with a gun and tried to be kidnapped by people who identified themselves as police officers. Upon the reaction of citizens and colleagues, Akören was released. 

 

Colleagues reacted to the pressure against journalists covering the trustee protests on the ground. 

 

'JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME' 

 

Evrim Kepenek, one of the editors of Bianet, stated that the blocking of journalists is a blow to media freedom and reminded that the professional activities of journalists reporting in the region are considered “criminal”. Kepenek evaluated the violence against journalists as an attempt to cover up the truth. 

 

Stating that journalism is not a crime, “The protests in the cities and the efforts of journalists to bring this process to the public are actually a struggle to break the silence and bring the truth to light. Journalists are the most important defenders of democracy who are tried to be silenced by pressure and censorship. The pressures against journalists must end. Journalism is not a crime,” Kepenek said. 

 

Journalist Umut Taştan reminded that the oppression against journalists was also experienced during the trustee period in Wan and said that a similar situation was encountered today in Batman when a journalist was dragged on the ground, detained and tried to be kidnapped. 

 

Stating that journalists expose the torture against the public, Taştan said that press professional organizations and society should show solidarity with journalists. “The media has closed its eyes to both the trustees and what is happening in that region. Politicians and press professional organizations need to be more active and embrace the press in the trustee regions. They need to voice their problems. If this is not done, torture will increase and our colleagues will face much worse situations,” he said.  

 

WHY ARE JOURNALISTS TARGETED?

 

Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Co-Director Veysel Ok stated that the trustee appointments are unlawful and that journalists covering the protests in the region were also subjected to unlawful practices. 

 

Ok said: “Journalists are exposing these injustices, unlawfulness and human rights violations with their cameras, cameras, phones and news reports. However, journalists who witness violent police interventions are subjected to direct pressure; the police target and try to prevent journalists because they do not want them to document. In essence, these crackdowns aim to prevent journalists from testifying and documenting.”

 

'JOURNALISTS ARE WANTED TO BE SILENCED'

 

Pointing out that the attacks are aimed at silencing journalists, Ok said that those who attacked Free Press are the same people who appointed the trustees. Ok continued as follows: “Everyone from the police officers who used violence to the supervisors and local government officials who directed them bears responsibility for these violations. At this point, it is a right to speak out against the trustee appointments. Those who want to prevent the exercise of this right aim to silence journalists, who are the biggest witnesses of the events.” 

Calling on press professional organizations, Ok said that solidarity should be provided for journalists without discrimination.  

 

MA / Ferdi Bayram