Gülistan Azak

DİYARBAKIR - DFG Co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu pointed out that intense violations of rights against journalists continue and said: ‘’Not only the journalists, but the whole society is wanted to be left breathless.”

Turkey ranks 153rd among 180 countries according to the 2021 Press Freedom Index of the International Organization of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), according to the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association's (DFG) Report on Rights Violations Against Journalists for June 2021. At least 68 journalists are under arrest.

Dicle Müftüoğlu, Co-chair of DFG, evaluated the rights violations experienced by journalists and freedom of the press in Turkey, where the most journalists are detained.

‘Trying to hide rights violations’

Stating that the rights violations against the press have the purpose of punishing the journalists and the society whose right to access the news is denied, Dicle emphasized that the police violence against the journalists is actually intended to leave the society breathless. Dicle said: ‘’We see that the reason for the pressure on journalists is the effort to hide the intense violations of rights imposed. AFP reporter Bülent Kılıç was tried to be out of breathe by pressing his throat while he was shooting, the arrest of reporters who made the news of citizens being thrown from a helicopter in Van, and the arrest of journalist Sinan Aygül who reported on the sexual abuse of a child in Bitlis Tatvan are examples of pressures against the press. Journalism is wanted to be killed in Turkey. This is exactly the picture to had been left without breath.’’

‘The report we published is the tip of the iceberg’

Noting that the attacks against journalists, obstacles, lawsuits, penalties and barriers to access to the media continued in June, Dicle said: ‘’Investigations and lawsuits against journalists have not lost their momentum. Again, in the first half of 2021, channels that made broadcasts criticizing the government were fined 22 in total by Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), while channels close to the government did not receive a single fine. RTUK turned into a penal institution for the opposition press. We see that the access barriers to news are aimed at hiding the crimes of the perpetrator of sexual abuse and state officials. Every month we encounter a new series of rights violations. The report we published is the tip of the iceberg. We are sure that there are many violations of rights that are reluctant to be expressed due to the increasing pressures.’’

‘The only way out against the attacks is through solidarity’

Emphasizing that the only way out against the attacks is through solidarity, Dicle finally said: ‘’Attacks against the Kurdish press have been going on since the 90s. As the circle of pressure against these attacks grew, the importance and need of solidarity seen more. Many journalists have seen this too. It was a happy occasion that the journalists, putting their cameras, photograph machines, microphones, pens and notebooks on the floor, reacted together against police violence, oppression and attacks in the previous days. This partnership must be maintained. Otherwise, we journalists will continue to be blocked from accessing our news, our cameras will be broken, we will continue to be exposed to violence by the police, and we will be held by the throat and left breathless. The fact that these attacks are aimed not only at journalists but also at the whole society obliges us to unite the struggle. In fact, it is the breath of the society that is wanted to be cut off. It is on this basis that the problem should be approached.’’