Amed- Turkish police conducted dawn house raids in Amed (Diyarbakır), Istanbul, Mardin, Şırnak and Riha (Urfa) on Tuesday, detaining many people, including three journalists.

The Mesopotamia Women’s Journalists’ Association (MKG) has released a written statement, condemning the detention of the journalists.

“The house raids were conducted just after the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,” the statement said. “The house raids are an attack on women's struggle for rights and freedom.”

 ‘There is an intensified crackdown on women journalists’

Freedom of the press and expression is a constitutional right and a cornerstone of democratic societies, the statement stressed. “However, what we have witnessed shows that there is an intensified crackdown on press freedom and women journalists. The detention of journalists is an attack not only on journalism but also on the right to freedom of expression and information.”

‘They must be immediately released’

In the statement, the association demands the immediate release of the journalists. “As the MKG, we emphasize once again that we will keep being the voice of people defending the rights of journalists. Oppression, detention and arrest cannot intimidate us. We will not give up fighting for the truth.

“We demand the immediate release of our colleagues and call on the authorities to end their crackdown on journalists.”