The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) has released a report detailing ongoing press suppression in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority eastern and southeastern regions in January.
The report highlights the plight of journalists facing attacks, threats, and pressures while conducting their duties, with two journalists detained and two imprisoned within the month.
DFG’s report also revisits the case of co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu, who has remained in custody following a court hearing on 18 January. The report criticises the judicial system for what it describes as a transition from punishment to outright oppression, citing “baseless accusations” as the reason for Müftüoğlu’s continued imprisonment.
In January, while seven journalists were released, the report underscores that 53 journalists remain incarcerated. It notes the unrelenting pace of investigations, trials, and sentences against journalists, along with ongoing human rights violations, repressions, and prohibitions throughout the month.
The report mentions specific cases, including journalist Medine Mamedoğlu receiving threatening and insulting messages via social media and BirGün reporter İsmail Arı being targeted by the Menzil Order.
Highlighting the increasing targeting, insults, detentions, and pressures on journalists, the report affirms the inalienable right to report news and opposes censorship and bans on their work. It condemns disinformation practices that deprive the public of their right to accurate information. The DFG expresses hope for an end to these systematic attacks on journalism, emphasising the profession’s dignity and the journalist’s role in defending the public’s right to know. The report calls for an immediate cessation of pressures on journalists and demands the release of Müftüoğlu and all imprisoned journalists.
The full report can be accessed on the DFG’s website.
