Turkey: Öznur Değer Beaten, Briefly Detained By Police For Covering Protests, Faces Legal Charges
Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: November 28, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The police beat up and physically restrained Jinnews reporter Öznur Değer on Sunday, during protests in Ankara against the sharp drop in Turkish Lira and worsening economic conditions. After physically assaulting the journalist, the police seized her equipment, handcuffed her, and kept her detained till midnight. She was eventually released after her statement was taken and a case was lodged against her on charges of allegedly violating the law on demonstrations and resisting a public official.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the obstruction of the free press. The police’s measures against Öznur were unwarranted, disproportionate and contradictory to the democratic values the country claims to uphold. No democracy can survive without a free and independent press.
The historic devaluation of the Turkish Lira last week sparked protests in Ankara, İstanbul and other parts of the country. On Sunday, November 28, 2021, the police baton charged protestors in Ankara and detained at least 25 persons from the site. Öznur was on ground to cover the ‘We Can’t Live’ protest organized by the Ankara Labor and Democracy Unity when she was physically attacked by the police and then detained.
#Turkey: The police attacked and detained @jinnewsturkce reporter @dgroznur who were covering protest for escalating poverty in the country. #CFWIJ is deeply concerned about the rampant repression of press in the country and demands the release of Öznur immediately! pic.twitter.com/GFaYDw6ebJ
— #WomenInJournalism (@CFWIJ) November 28, 2021
The journalist now faces legal action based on the charges levelled against her. The CFWIJ reiterates, journalism is not a crime and demands for all baseless charges against Öznur to be immediately dropped.
Speaking to the CFWIJ, Öznur said she will be filing a criminal complaint against the police officer, who physically assaulted her while she was doing her job. The CFWIJ extends support to Öznur. We call on the Turkish authorities to take action against miscreant police officers instead of persecuting journalists doing their jobs. The measures taken by the police against protestors and journalists in Ankara are deeply concerning and in violation of the freedom of the press, right to information and right to assemble.
Öznur faced similar mistreatment at the hands of the police earlier in 2021. At a protest organized by the Ankara Women’s Platform in January, the journalist and 18 other women were detained by the police. Although Öznur was released after her statement was recorded and health control measures were completed, she and all others detained in connection with the protest - demanding return of missing 22-year-old university student Gülistan Doku - faced prosecution on charges of violating the country’s law on demonstrations.
These instances, and several other cases of police aggression against journalists that we have recorded, indicate a pattern of police overreaches in Turkey. The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Öznur Değer. We demand immediate action against the police officer who assaulted her in the field and call for all unfounded charges against the journalist to be immediately dropped. The Turkish police would do well to remember that journalism is not a crime and cannot be treated as such. We call on the Turkish authorities to hold the police to account for its repeated transgressions against the freedom of the press and ensure free and safe working conditions for women journalists.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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