In its October report, the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) stated that the government continues its policy of silencing critical media through judicial and administrative mechanisms, and underlined that investigations and trials targeting the Kurdish press have become systematic.
The report noted that the investigations opened against JINNEWS employees Öznur Değer and Dilan Babat demonstrate the current scale of pressure on the press.
In addition, the decision of the Van 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace to impose access bans on hundreds of news content was described as “the institutionalisation of censorship.”
According to the report, the approval by the Ankara Regional Court of Appeal of the prison sentences of 6 years and 3 months issued against seven journalists, including Diren Yurtsever of Mezopotamya Agency and journalist Zemo Ağgöz, was evaluated as evidence of “the judiciary’s approach of criminalising journalism.”
MKG stated that attacks and threats targeting journalists remain unpunished, and that this situation violates society’s right to access information.
The report outlined the following violations in October:
– 9 rights violations against journalists,
– 1 journalist subjected to physical assault,
– 2 journalists subjected to ill-treatment,
– 2 journalists threatened,
– 3 journalists were prevented from following the news.
The report also stated that investigations were initiated against 4 journalists and a lawsuit was filed against 1 journalist; a total prison sentence of 22 years, 1 month and 15 days and a fine of 7,000 Turkish liras was issued against 5 journalists.
The report listed Elif Ersoy, Hatice Duman, Özden Kınık, Perihan Erkılınç and Songül Yücel as the women journalists currently imprisoned.