SEENPM Condemns Journalist Arrests in Turkey

SEENPM strongly condemns the jailing of several journalists in Turkey over their coverage of the protests in Istanbul and other Turkish cities against the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. At least seven journalists were detained in house raids on 24 March, according to bianet, a SEENPM member. Most of those arrested are photojournalists.

The mayor’s detention on 19 March sparked the largest demonstrations in more than a decade, with concerns over democracy and the rule of law growing.

In parallel, on 24 March a court ordered the blocking of some 700 X accounts, including the Turkish-language X account of bianet.

According to the ministry of interior, a total of 1,133 people have been detained since the mayor was arrested.

While the protests have been largely peaceful, according to numerous accounts police used heavy-handed tactics against the demonstrators, deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray as well as firing rubber bullets. Bianet reporter Ali Dinç has been covering the protests against İmamoğlu’s detention from the start. He was himself struck by a couple of rubber bullets but fortunately is doing well and continues his reporting.

SEENPM joins the calls of the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) and their affiliates in Turkey TGS, TGC, GCD and DİSK Basın-İş for the immediate release of the detained journalists.