MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed (Diyarbakır)- While there is only a few days until the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in Turkey on May 14, journalists and opposition groups face more oppression. Turkish police raided houses in many cities as part of investigations launched in Diyarbakır, Ankara and Istanbul and detained many journalists. Turkish courts issued the pre-trial detention of seven journalists, who were detained in these detention operations. In Turkey, 34 Kurdish journalists have been held in pre-trial detention for their reports in the past 11 months.

In an interview with NuJINHA, Roza Metîna, journalist and spokesperson of the Mesopotamia Women’s Journalists’ Platform (Turkish: Mezopotamya Kadın Gazeteciler Platformu, MKGP), talked about the recent crackdown on journalists in Turkey.

 ‘The aim is to passivize everyone before the elections’

 Recalling that two journalists were handcuffed and sent to prison on May 3, the World Press Freedom Day, Roza Metîna said, “More than 60 journalists are behind bars in Turkey right now. While there is only a few days to the elections, journalists face more oppression. The aim of this pre-election crackdown on journalists is to ensure that the government wins power again in the upcoming elections. The journalists are arrested to cover up rights violations committed by the government. Every day, an operation is launched against journalists and opposition groups. Whenever elections approach, members of many professional organizations are detained and arrested. The aim of such operations is to passivize everyone before the elections. Even if one of us is left, we will never serve the current system.”

‘This robber order will break down’

Before being sent to prison on May 3, journalist Sedat Yılmaz shouted, “This robber order will end in 10 days; it has been broken down, it will be broken down.” Recalling the words of journalist Sedat Yılmaz, Roza Metîna said the resistance of journalists gives them strength.

“When our colleague was sent to prison, he said, ‘This robber order will be broken down’. We understand from his words that the free press has never bowed to these pressures and attacks. Our imprisoned colleagues always say they will return and work again. We will keep doing journalism despite all the attacks against us. Our colleagues say at every opportunity that they will not be the journalists of the system. We follow in the footsteps of journalists Deniz Fırat, Gurbetelli Ersöz and Ape Musa (Kurdish journalist Musa Anter). We will never give up. We will overcome these difficult times by working more.”

 ‘Raise your voices in solidarity’

Noting that women journalists face many challenges such as arrests, investigations and threats while doing journalism, Roza Metîna said, “Women journalists will overcome such challenges by being in solidarity with each other. Today, many of our members are behind the bars. Women journalists have been threatened while doing journalism. They face investigations for their reports. As the members of the platform and women journalists, we will keep doing journalism. I call on everyone to raise their voices more in solidarity with journalists.”