Turkey: Four Women Journalists Detained Overnight As Police Clash With Demonstrators On Anniversary Of Gezi Park Protests
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: June 1, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Photo Credit: Hayri Tunç
Four women journalists, and two of their male colleagues, were obstructed and taken into custody while on their way to Taksim Square in İstanbul to cover demonstrations marking the ninth anniversary of 2013 Gezi Park protests. The journalists were detained and held overnight. The next morning, the police took their statements and released them. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the abuse of state power to suppress coverage of a public protest. Impunity for police overreaches to aid in press repression threatens safety of journalists and compromises democracy. We call on the authorities to allow the press to report freely and independently without government interference.
Flash News editors Dilan Polat, Sevda Doğan and Derin Aydoğdu, and Evrensel Daily editor Meltem Akyol were detained on May 31, held overnight and prevented from covering the events at Taksim Square. Thousands of protestors had gathered at the Taksim Solidarity Platform’s call to observe the ninth anniversary of the country-wide protests against, then prime minister and now president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government in 2013 that began in Gezi Park. Several activists and protestors were killed in clashes with the police as the authorities resorted to brute force to suppress dissenting voices. Scores of people were injured.
On May 31, the police clashed with demonstrators at Taksim Square, reportedly detaining 170 people, including journalists, as they gathered to commemorate anti-government protests that began nine years ago in nearby Gezi Park. Journalists on ground were also hit with tear gas used by the police to disperse the protestors.
Some journalists, including at least four women, were not even allowed to reach the site and were detained while on their way. ETHA news agency’s editor Pınar Gayıp’s took to Twitter to share the police brutality Meltem was subjected to.
#Gezi9yasinda eylemi takip eden gazeteci @MeltemAkyl 'a polis böyle saldırdı pic.twitter.com/wczbhelTit
— Pınar Gayıp (@pinargayip) May 31, 2022
Describing the moments of her detention to the Evrensel Daily, Meltem said that police officers beat her and damaged her equipment, including the camera she had strung around her neck. When Meltem told the officers that she is a journalist, a policeman said “you were not my journalist”. Another police officer threatened Meltem and said "We will show you journalism".
Artı TV reporter Meral Danyıldız was another journalist who was subjected to police violence while reporting the events. She was broadcasting live when police unleashed tear gas on members of the press.
Gezi Direnişi'nin 9. yıl dönümünde Taksim Dayanışması tarafından yapılan çağrıyla TMMOB önünde yapılmak istenen açıklamaya polis müdahale ediyor.
— Artı TV (@ArtiTV_) May 31, 2022
Basın çalışanları polis şiddetine maruz kaldı.
Canlı👇 https://t.co/p8B3lponhv pic.twitter.com/v7ofvV9npi
Moreover, Halk TV reporters Erdinç Yılmaz and Hayri Tunç, Tele1 reporter Engin Açar and cameraman Umutcan Yitük, also beaten by law enforcement officials. Evrensel Daily’s Eylem Nazlıer and other journalists were obstructed from documenting scenes of police violence against the demonstrators. .
In 2013, thousands of protestors had gathered against then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian policies. The unrest started at the symbolic Gezi Park and spread across the country. Each year citizens gather to remember those who were killed by security forces during the protests. At least 10 people were killed while many others were injured during the demonstrations that continued till June that year.
Last month, a long drawn out case against 18 people accused of organizing and financing the protests concluded with a conviction for eight people including philanthropist Osman Kavala. The verdict issued by a court in İstanbul has been met with severe criticism from political opponents, rights defenders and activists, among others.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly objects to the weaponization of state machinery against journalists to suppress coverage of events unfavorable to the ruling political party. We call on the Erdoğan government to allow the press to report freely without fear of government retaliation. There has been a continuous rise in violations against journalists in the past decade. The CFWIJ has been closely monitoring the country and finds it in routine violation of press freedom. In 2022 thus far, we have documented at least 18 cases of women journalists physically assaulted and obstructed while reporting on ground. Legal harassment, arbitrary detentions and police violence are tools frequently employed by the incumbent government to suppress independent reporting. The authorities must allow the Turkish press to operate without government interference and let journalists do their jobs!
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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