Recently, it was revealed that dozens of journalists whose articles were published in the International Journalist Post magazine were blacklisted by the General Directorate of Security. Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) Chairman Gökhan Durmuş and Mustafa Kuleli, general organization secretary of the union was also among the journalists exposed to scandalous Decriminalization.
The Turkish Journalists’ Union issued a statement on the blacklisting. ‘We are living through a process in which the right of the public to receive news is blocked by police shields, freedom of the press and expression are thrown behind bars, and our democracy is wanted to be destroyed.”. “The process that started with the arrest of our colleagues in Diyarbakir has evolved into a climate in which dozens of journalists are subjected to violence, detained and charged almost every week. Just looking at what happened in the last week, we see how law enforcement agencies acted unlawfully with the instructions they received:
It turned out that journalists, including our Chairman Gökhan Durmuş and both the Vice-President of the European Federation of Journalists and our Union manager Mustafa Kuleli, were blacklisted due to their articles.
Bianet reporter Tuğçe Yılmaz, who was following the Peace Day demonstrations on September 1 in Kadıköy, Istanbul, was subjected to sexual harassment by the police. In the same demonstration sendika.org correspondent Zilan Azad was detained.
Mesut Bağcı, one of the journalists following the September 1 World Peace Day rally in Van, was beaten to the ground by the police and his camera was broken. Undercover policeman who identified himself as a member of the anti-terror branch threatened MA reporter Berivan Kutlu and JINNEWS reporter Zelal Tunc with death. “I’ll shoot you, no one will find you,” the policeman told the reporters. The same policeman also pulled a gun on JINNEWS reporter Elfazi Toral. In addition, the police often tried to break their cameras, preventing journalists from taking images.
On the same day, members of the press who wanted to record the intervention of law enforcement in the urban transformation in Tokatkoy in the Beykoz district of Istanbul were prevented from entering the neighborhood. Halk TV reporter Erdinç Yılmaz was beaten by police shields.
Journalists who tried to take a photo of the former Turkish Aviation Authority (THK) University Rector Unsal Ban, who was arrested on September 2 as part of the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, were threatened by the Usurpation Bureau Chief. 3-4 Policemen who came to the press room door lined up journalists at the door like suspects and threatened them not to publish the photos.
On September 3, ETHA reporter (Etkin News Agency) Elif Bayburt was detained and MA Reporter Dogan Kaynak was beaten during a press statement that relatives of detainees wanted to make in Kartal Square.
These pressures will not turn back either the journalists or the journalists’ union from its path. We call on the government, which has been trying to stifle journalism, which is a public service, with these endless pressures for years, and wants to prevent news from reaching society, to abandon these policies once again, to respect the rights of journalists and the right of the public to receive news.’’ as the statement expressed.