The Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (DFG) and Mezopotamya Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) launched a campaign on Tuesday in solidarity with journalists arrested in Turkey.
In their “One More News From You” campaign, the groups urged journalists and press organisations to publish news stories that will draw attention to the plight of journalists arrested in Turkey.
Last weekend, prosecutors imprisoned nine out of 11 journalists from Kurdish media outlets who were arrested in dawn raids last week.
The journalists, from the Kurdish-focussed Mezopotamya News (MA) and all-women Jin News agencies, have been accused of links to terrorist organisations.
Last week’s events bring the number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey to 65, according to the Media and Legal Studies Association’s (MLSA) report.
Journalists, NGOs and bureaucrats reacted against the arrests, but this week’s campaign has called for broader support from journalists of all political leanings, noting that past experience taught that while “today we are the target, tomorrow you are the target.”
“The Kurdish press never back down. On the contrary, they march on the truth,” the DFG and MKGF said in their statement.
“Your efforts to change the agenda will not work; the branch of war you are clinging to will not be enough to prolong your life,” the statement said, addressing the Turkish government.
News articles in support of the solidarity campaign can be sent to the following e-mail addresses with “one more news from me” as the subject line.
[email protected]
[email protected]