ISTANBUL— Security and judicial pressures on female journalists in Turkey are increasing unprecedentedly, as media work has turned into a perilous path amid systematic detention campaigns and repeated arrests.

Turkish authorities arrested at least 18 people, including female journalists and activists, who have remained in detention since November 9 of the current month pending investigations being conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office. The list of detainees includes Serpil Ünal and Özlem Oral, correspondents for the newspaper (Mücadele Birliği), along with Fatma Yıldırım, a board member of (Önsöz) magazine.

The detainees, who are currently undergoing legal procedures at the Istanbul Security Directorate, face charges related to "membership in an illegal organization," and are scheduled to be referred tomorrow to the Çağlayan court in Istanbul to complete the investigation procedures after the expiration of their initial three-day detention period.

The Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association (MKG) condemned the detention of journalists Serpil Ünal, Özlem Oral, and Fatma Yıldırım, affirming that their practice of their work comes within the framework of defending the public's right to know, and confirming that journalists are subjected to continuous pressures and obstacles that hinder the performance of their professional mission.

The association also stressed in its statement that the detention of the three journalists took place while they were performing their journalistic duty, considering the measures taken against them a restriction on press freedom.

For its part, the Tigris and Euphrates Journalists (DFG) demanded the immediate release of journalists Serpil Ünal, Özlem Oral, and Fatma Yıldırım, who were arrested against the backdrop of their journalistic work. The journalists are scheduled to appear before the court after spending three days in detention, amid affirmations from the association that journalism is not a crime and that their detention is unacceptable.