Turkey: Earthquake Aftermath - Journalists Blocked, Arrested And Targeted. CFWIJ Demands Transparency And Access For Press
Location: Turkey
Date: February 9, 2023Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Journalists trying to report the devastating aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey are being prevented from doing their jobs. Journalist Sema Çağlak was trying to film wreckage in Urfa when she was detained along with two of her colleagues. Twitter was also blocked in an attempt by the authorities to stop the spread of “disinformation.” The social network is an important tool for coordinating rescue efforts and should not be blocked. CFWIJ condemns attempts to impede journalists from reporting on the disaster.
After the declaration of a state of emergency, journalists were blocked and targeted
On the second day after the earthquake, a three-month state of emergency was declared in 10 provinces affected. Following this, several journalists who interviewed earthquake victims and amplified the voices of people waiting for help were prevented from filming by police.
CFWIJ spoke with journalists on the ground. They stated that after the state of emergency was declared, the police in the area started requesting turquoise press cards. Journalists who reported the issue to the governorships received an answer from the governor's officials who claimed they had no knowledge regarding the reasons why police were preventing journalists. Journalists, who stated they had previous disagreements with authorized institutions, waited longer for permission.
Journalists detained and harassed by police
On February 8, Jinnews reporter Sema Çağlak and two of her colleagues were detained in Urfa, after speaking to earthquake victims and filming wreckage. After being questioned by the police, they were taken to the police station to make statements about their press accreditation. They were detained for not being equipped with turquoise press cards that are issued by the Presidency. Despite holding valid press cards issued by media organizations, the journalists were asked, "Why did you come to Birecik?" and," Who gave you this press card?". The journalists were released later in the day, but their press cards were confiscated.
Arriving in Urfa on Tuesday, February 7, early in the morning, journalist İrem Afşin spoke to CFWIJ. Afşin was filming for a foreign television channel at one of the largest debris sites in İpekyol District of Urfa. This was where the detained Jinnews and Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporters were also reporting from. Afşin stated that there were no police or gendarmerie in the area that morning. They filmed the building where the three journalists were detained to document and no intervention was made on her and her team. However, İrem Afşin said that things changed the next day.
“This morning (February 8), we went to the only tent city in Urfa to broadcast live. First, they said that we are not allowed to walk around the tent city. We mentioned that nobody said it's forbidden when we told we were going to shoot here yesterday. We got the answer, "There is now a state of emergency". After a long discussion, we shot with restrictions such as talking to only three families and standing in a place they showed. The riot police team of 10-15 people waited around us all the time.
When we went back to the tent city for the evening broadcast, a police chief in charge of the tent city in Urfa came. ‘If anything is said in this broadcast that will bring destruction to our state, I will go off the air and kick you out of here,’ he said. I said that I am a journalist and we shoot the facts as they are. The police chief said, 'I know some English. I will listen to this broadcast here, if I hear the slightest bad thing about our state, I will go off the air. You cannot denigrate the state to foreigners,' he said. We argued for a long time, but in the end, we were able to make our broadcast, albeit with restrictions.”
Ceren İskit, a Turkish journalist working with a foreign press team, told CFWIJ, “conditions are really hard in the earthquake zone”. She and her team encountered police officers that were hostile to journalists. She was threatened while reporting on a temporary morgue in a sports center in Maras. “Police did not allow us to film and literally threatened me,” İskit said. “When I showed my temporary accreditation card, he said ‘leave here, you are manipulating things.’”
In Diyarbakır, a police chief attempted to prevent them from filming a collapsed residence, “even though the team I worked with had the press visa, they (police) forced them to get an accreditation card, which is now a new rule to report for foreign journalists.”
Journalists are struggling to get information from rescue authorities, “in all places we went to find out how many people (were) stuck under the collapsed buildings, official rescue members (AFAD) did not give us info,” said İskit.
İskit also highlighted the practical difficulties that journalists working in the worst-affected areas are facing. Accommodation is scarce and many have resorted to sleeping in their cars. “ The weather is really cold especially at night so you can imagine the difficulties” Iskrit explained. “Finding power is another problem. The internet reception is really bad... also facilities like toilets or finding a place to eat is almost impossible.”
Journalist Gülbahar Altaş explained to CFWIJ that while filming debris in the Ofis neighborhood of Diyarbakır on February 9th, police officers deleted the footage she had captured, and took the memory card from her camera.
"I took a few photos and a video of the debris site. Shortly afterwards, two police officers approached me. One of them asked which organization I worked for and if I had accreditation. I showed them my press card that was given by media organization I work for. It indicates that I work for the local media, but they said they don't recognize it. They took my camera from me and said that it was forbidden for me to be in the area. First, they deleted the photos I took at the debris site. Then, they took a photo of my press card. When I said, 'What do you think you're doing? You don't have the right to delete my photos,' they took the memory card from my camera.”
Journalists attacked and intimidated by public
Journalist Arzu Efeoğlu, speaking to CFWIJ, said that while she was reporting with her team in Gaziantep, several citizens tried to attack them and asked for their ID cards. Arzu said that while interviewing the earthquake victims and filming the wreckage, several citizens suddenly lashed out, insulted them, and asked for their identification. Concerned for their safety, Arzu and her team did not show their IDs and explained the situation to security guards. She did not feel safe due to the public's reaction and reported it to police and the Gaziantep Regional Directorate of Communications. Commenting on Twitter, Arzu called for the targeting of the press to end as, “propaganda against the foreign press is now putting our lives in danger.”
Gülbahar Altaş was another journalist targeted by local people. Speaking to CFWIJ, Altaş said that on the evening of February 12, an argument broke out among people staying in tents in Diyarbakır Sümer Park. Two groups of people started to fight. She continued, "While I was trying to film what was happening there, people walked up to me and tried to attack . They told me not to film. Thanks to my cameraman friend and other citizens who were there, I survived the attack. The police came to help and intervened," Altaş said.
TELE1 reporter Hazal Güven and cameraman Umutcan Yitik, were attacked by an armed group when reporting in Hatay. Gunmen tried to obstruct the journalists when they were driving in the Defne district. The group ran away after the police were called. “Our hands are still shaking. They cut us off. They pulled out a gun. It could have been worse if my cameraman Umutcan hadn't maneuvered by closing the windows,” Güven said on Twitter. “Our hands are still shaking. The security problem in the region has reached a very serious level. "
According to Turkish non-profit MLSA, Fox TV reporters Sevgi Şahin and camera operator Ömür Dikme were attacked by locals during a live broadcast on February 10. They were not harmed but note that it was a highly dangerous situation. On the same day, Halk TV correspondent Şirin Payzın and her team were harassed by individuals that appeared to be civilians. She said they were attacked in Antakya as they filmed a collapsed building.
In Malatya, a group of people attempted to physically attack ArtıGerçek reporter Yağmur Kaya. Posting on Twitter Kaya said the group accused her of being “a provocateur” and of “smearing the Justice and Development Party and the state.” She was also asked numerous times by citizens to show her identification documentation throughout the day.
Access to social media was restricted
Access to Twitter, which is vital in coordinating aid for earthquake victims, was restricted on February 8, 2023. In the first two days after the earthquake, those who were under the rubble waiting for help managed to make their voices heard on Twitter. Lives were saved and aid was delivered to many places thanks to communication via the social network platform. On the third day of the earthquake, after emphasizing disinformation and provocation, the government restricted access to Twitter. Following this, users also had difficulty accessing Tiktok and Instagram. Telephone lines and the internet were not working well in the region, so communication with earthquake victims in need of help was completely cut off. On the same day, late at night, Twitter access was restored.
Journalists targeted on social media
Not only the state, but fellow journalists working in pro-government media have also targeted journalists reporting on the facts in the field. Yeni Şafak journalist Taha Hüseyin Karagöz accused ETHA reporter Elif Bayburt of making propaganda for a terrorist organization and targeted her on Twitter. Karagöz, who took the journalist's photo and press card and shared them on social media, continued his accusations by sharing ETHA's past tweets as well.
Search and rescue efforts continue after devastating earthquakes
Search and rescue efforts are continuing in Turkey and Syria after magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes. The epicenter was in the Turkish Kahramanmaras province, with Malatya, Adıyaman, Hatay, Kilis, Adana, Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır also affected.
Experts say the disastrous earthquakes shifted Turkey 3 meters to the southwest. Search and rescue efforts continue being poorly coordinated. In many regions, people are waiting for search and rescue teams, and food and shelter aid to arrive. It is stated that there are citizens who lost their lives due to hypothermia.
CFWIJ condemns the blocking and targeting of journalists who are waiting for help in the field, who pray for the salvation of their relatives under the rubble, and who speak to the people about the reality there. Authorities should assist journalists so they can do their jobs safely, rather than hinder them. After such a devastating disaster, journalists reporting the truth must not be threatened, prevented, or punished in any way. We demand that all these efforts to prevent the press be channeled towards helping earthquake victims. Journalism is by no means a crime. In such calamitous crisis it is the only lifeline for many.
By Damla Tarhan Durmuş
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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