- On Tuesday, the police raided seven Turkish cities and forcefully entered the houses of journalists and a newsroom. The workers of two Kurdish media are being arrested. Parliament passed the Censorship Act two weeks ago, and journalists’ associations have denounced that the Government is using freedom of expression to punish. Previously, there were 72 communication people in prison.
The Turkish police arrested eleven Kurdish journalists on Tuesday and, in secret order, journalists do not know what a crime is attributed to them. They haven't been able to talk to lawyers for the first 24 hours. Journalists are directors and correspondents of Kurdish agencies Mesopotamia and JinNews in Turkey. The trade unions of Turkish journalists and the opposition party denounce that this is a raid on the free press. Police say they are still looking for three other journalists.
The arrests have taken place in seven Turkish cities, both in the houses and in the Mesopotamia office in Ankara. Journalists report ill-treatment and threats. The police are breaking into the houses and the detainees are tortured when they receive the new Kurdish agency ANF. In addition, at the drafting office, the police have stolen several computers, cameras and documents. In addition, the detainees have explained that there were photographs in the office of journalists who died in the 1990s and that the police have broken and taken them.
Two weeks ago, the Turkish Parliament passed a censorship law, which allows anyone who disseminates “false information” to prison to be condemned. The opposition responds that it is a law against freedom of expression and the UN too. The arrest of journalists has not been received with surprise by many politicians.
The journalists' association DFG says that what has happened is serious and that journalism has not been declared a crime. The group denounced at the beginning of October the presence of 72 communication workers in Turkey.