Journalists Dicle Baştürk, Yavuz Akengin, Eylem Emel Yılmaz, and Sendika.Org contributor Ozan Cırık, who were detained during house raids in Istanbul on 13 June, were put under arrest pending trial by the on-duty court on the night of 16 June on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization.” Moreover, as part of the same investigation, journalist Metin Yoksu was also arrested on 26 June after voluntarily appearing before the prosecutor in Batman to give his testimony.
The investigation file cites the journalists’ provision of technical services to news websites, the copyright fees they received for their reporting, and their professional communications as grounds for prosecution. These journalists are being punished simply for doing their jobs and for receiving payment for their work.
Under national and international regulations that safeguard press freedom, it is unacceptable to criminalize journalistic activity. Producing news, sharing news, and receiving payment for such work is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime.
As press freedom organizations and civil society groups signing below, we consider these arrests yet another example of how vague criminal charges are increasingly misused to silence the press. It is unacceptable to accuse journalists of “membership in a terrorist organization” solely for producing and publishing news.
At a time when journalism is already under siege from job insecurity, pressure, and censorship—when journalists are targeted with detention based on the outlets they work with, the organizations they are affiliated with, or their official employment records—these arrests are a direct assault on the public’s right to information.
We demand the immediate release of the detained journalists and call on the authorities to put an end to attempts to silence the press.
Signatories:
Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)
ARTICLE 19
Batumelebi, Georgia
Community Radio “Marneuli”
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Independent Association of Georgian Journalists (IAGJ)
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Journalists and Media Workers Union (Russia)
Journalism Resource Center (JRC)
Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS)
Media Communication and Postal Employees Union (HABER-SEN)
Netgazeti, Georgia
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Trade Union of Journalists, Publishing House and Printing House Workers (DİSK Basın-İş)
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics
