Among the 81 people detained and arrested in the political crackdown operation carried out on February 6, 2026 against the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), were Etkin News Agency (ETHA) journalists Pınar Gayıp, Nadiye Gürbüz, Elif Bayburt and Müslüm Koyun.
Human rights defender and lawyer Eren Keskin, who visited journalists Pınar Gayıp, Nadiye Gürbüz and Elif Bayburt on February 18 at Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison, where they are being unlawfully held, spoke to ANF.
Police wanted to watch Gayıp while she was changing and using the toilet
Eren Keskin began by emphasizing that the operation against ESP was unlawful. She pointed out that although the journalists she visited at Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison, Pınar Gayıp, Nadiye Gürbüz and Elif Bayburt, had informed the police during the February 6 raid that they would open the door, officers armed with long-barreled weapons broke down their doors anyway.
Keskin said: “Firstly, breaking down a journalist’s door even though she says ‘I’m opening it’ is a very serious problem. That’s the first issue. During the house search, the police pressured journalist Pınar Gayıp to change her pajamas under their supervision. An argument broke out. When she said that if she was not allowed to change alone, she would go to the police station in her pajamas, the female officers abandoned this unlawful practice, which amounts to a strip search. Likewise, the same female officers tried to prevent Pınar from entering the toilet alone. The police wanted to watch her there as well, saying, ‘We will enter and observe.’ There was also an argument about this, and Pınar did not allow it.”
Journliasts asked for solidarity
Eren Keskin explained that the journalists, who are conscious of their rights, also refused the strip search that authorities attempted to impose at the entrance of Bakırköy Prison. She said that Gayıp, Gürbüz and Bayburt were in good spirits and good health. She added: “I met with the three journalists on February 18. They were in good condition and very determined. They are aware that this is a baseless operation. They believe it is an operation aimed particularly at breaking support for the Kurdish people. They attached great importance to solidarity outside and said it gives them strength, and they asked for it to continue. Elif Bayburt is very young; this is her first imprisonment. But she was in very good condition. They send their greetings to everyone and called for strengthening solidarity.”
Arrests are happening very easily in recent times
Reminding that it is unacceptable for journalists to be arrested in this way for their professional activities, Eren Keskin said: “The other day, the parliamentary commission’s report on the process spoke about freedom of expression. Yet journalists in this country are arrested on the grounds of their professional activities. These three friends of ours are essentially journalists arrested because of the news they reported. This is absolutely unacceptable. I have been part of the human rights movement since the early 1990s and have been one of the closest witnesses to violations of freedom of expression in every period. I myself am a victim of this. I was imprisoned as well. But I have never encountered a period in which arrest decisions were made so easily.
Journalists cannot be prosecuted or arrested for their reporting! These rights are guaranteed by the constitution. The other day, all parties stated this in the parliamentary commission’s report, but in practice it does not work that way. In this country, if a journalist is oppositional, they are not only prosecuted but also tried in detention. This is a serious problem. Everyone has to support their family, to earn a living. None of these people are wealthy. They support their homes, their children, their families through journalism, and by arresting them solely for their reporting, you are also condemning their families to poverty.”
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