Turkey: Journalist Asena Tunca Was Arrested With Reverse Handcuffs - CFWIJ Condemns Hostile Violence Against Journalists
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 1, 2023Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
On March 1, Birgün reporter Asena Tunca, who was covering the protest organized by the SOL Party in Kadıköy, was detained. Despite repeatedly identifying herself as a journalist and showing her press card, Tunca was subjected to torture with reverse handcuffs. CFWIJ condemns this hostile attitude towards journalists.
Birgün employees Ezgican Ceylan and Ahmet Can Sarıkaya, who were also monitoring the same protest, were also detained along with Tunca. Journalist Zeynep Kuray, who was following the same protest, shared the incident on her social media account. Kuray shared a video of the altercation and stated that police attacked both citizens and journalists after the slogan "government resign" was chanted.
Sol Parti'nin eyleminin keyfi bir biçimde engellenmesine, “Hükümet istifa” sloganıyla tepki gösteren çevredeki yurttaşlara da polis saldırdı. Gazeteci Asena Tunca ve avukatların da aralarında bulunduğu çok sayıda kişi işkenceyle gözaltına alındı. #Deprem #Hükümetİstifa pic.twitter.com/KqmeMSOsFi
— Zeynep Kuray (@zeynokuray) March 1, 2023
Journalist Asena Tunca also announced the violation that she was subjected to on her social media account saying, "Despite shouting 'I am a journalist' several times and showing my press card, they arrested me and other press workers with hostility, reverse handcuffs, and torture. This violence will not stop us from showing the truth."
CFWIJ condemns the hostile attitude and torture against journalist Asena Tunca and demands her immediate release. It is unacceptable and cannot be normalized for journalists to be subjected to police violence in the field, despite identifying themselves as press and showing their press cards. Journalism is not a crime.
Defalarca kez 'basın' diye bağırmama ve kimliğimi göstermeme rağmen düşmanca, ters kelepçe ve işkenceyle beni ve diğer basın emekçilerini gözaltına alanlar gerçekleri,işkenceyi göstermekten vazgeçmeyeceğiz. Halkın haber alma hakkını engelleyemeyeceksiniz. #GazetecilikSucDegildir
— Asena Tunca (@AsenaTunca) March 2, 2023
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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