DİYARBAKIR - Condemning the detention of their colleagues in Diyarbakır, journalists called for solidarity to all press organisations against the government's effort for a "monologist media".

 

As part of the investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against journalists, 21 people, including 20 journalists, were detained in house raids yesterday. Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) Co-chair Serdar Altan, JINNEWS Director Safiye Alagaş, JINNEWS editor Gülşen Koçuk, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) editor Aziz Oruç and journalists Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Ömer Çelik, Suat Doğuhan, Ramazan Geciken, Esmer Tunç, Neşe Toprak, Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Mazlum Doğan Güler, Mehmet Şahin, Elif Üngür, İbrahim Koyuncu, Remziye Temel, Mehmet Yalçın, Abdurrahman Öncü, Lezgin Akdeniz and Kadir Bayram were detained. Feynaz Koçuk was also detained in Gebze as part of the same investigation.

 

Their colleagues condemned the detention of journalists who were targeted by the pro-government and pro-KDP media outlets.

 

THE GOVERNMENT IS DISTURBED BY JOURNALISTS WRITING THE TRUTH

 

Arti TV Diyarbakir Representative Bahar Kılıçgedik said: "Journalists were detained for reporting the truth. Our friends were targeted because they disturbed the government. In Turkey where there is an ongoing economic crisis, cross-border operations and upcoming elections, the government is disturbed by the journalists writing the truth."

 

DETAINED FOR 'REPORTING THE TRUTH'

 

Kılıçgedik said: "We condemn this raid on the Kurdish press and we want our colleagues to be released as soon as possible. Our detained colleagues are always on the ground following news and they are the journalists who report and discuss the issues on the agenda the most. We want to see them in the out on the streets doing their jobs as soon as possible. The journalists were accused of 'propagandising for a terrorist organisation' and 'being a member of a terrorist organisation'. It must actually be, 'reporting the truth'.

 

CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH KURDISH PRESS

 

Calling all journalists to be in solidarity with Kurdish press workers, Kılıçgedik said: "Reporters in the region are usually accused of 'propagandising for a terrorist organisation' or 'membership in a terrorist organisation' without even mentioning what they wrote about. At this point, we have to be in solidarity with them. We have to raise our voices for them. I call on all our colleagues and non-governmental organisations to be solidarity with our  colleaques.”

 

MONOLOGIST MEDIA

 

Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) Spokesperson Roza Metina stated that the government wants the facts to be kept in the dark. Metina said, “With the chaos they have created, a great attack is carried out against journalists so that the voice of truth is not heard. In fact, this attack is an attack against women's will. They want to take the society under their control in the person of women journalists. They want to control the consciousness of the society. They also want to create a monologist media. This is why free press has a huge role in a one-man system in Turkey."

 

'WE WILL NOT BOW DOWN'

 

Emphasizing that Kurdish journalists are tall in their saddle against the attacks, oppression and detentions in the past, Metina said: "They have not bow down to attacks and they never will, because press is an advocate of ensuring the communication of the people with the truth. That's why we will resist the attacks against us, we will not bow down. We will continue to say, 'Journalism is not a crime'. The work of the free press is also great value.”

 

FREE PRESS WARNS: TOMORROW IT WILL BE YOU!

 

Calling everyone who says "I am on the side of the truth" to be solidarity with Kurdish journalists, Metina continued: "There is a special attack on Kurdish journalists today because they want to nullify the struggle of the Kurds and the truth that has emerged with it. We call out to all media organisations; They should hear the voice of Kurdish journalists and raise their voice against the attacks and injustices against Kurdish journalists. If Kurdish journalists are targeted today, it will be their turn tomorrow. All media institutions should raise their voice against these attacks."

 

'ILLEGAL RAID'

 

Medya Üren, one of the reporters of JINNEWS, who witnessed the raid, stated that the pressure against the Kurds have failed and the press reflecting the struggle of the Kurds has never submitted to pressures. Üren said: “As we stepped up our struggle, they increased their pressures. This is not the first time we face these attacks and nor it will be the last. A few days ago, DFG Co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu was detained. The detentions continued with 20 other journalists. Our agency was also raided by the police. There is also material damage. Our computers and many of our belongings were confiscated. All this was done unannounced and illegally. We heard about the raid from security. When we came to the office, we saw that they took everything.”

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT THE TRUTH'

 

Üren who said, “As the generals of Apê Musa and Gurbetelli Ersöz, we are in the streets to report the truth,” continued: “We are stepping up our struggle to report day by day. We will do our jobs no matter what. We will continue to report the truth. We will continue to report the truth and the struggle of the Kurdish people to everyone.”