Journalist Pelşin Çetinkaya was detained and subjected to police violence while covering protests in Batman (Êlih), Turkey, against government-appointed municipal trustees.
Çetinkaya’s arrest highlights an intensifying crackdown on independent journalism in Turkey, a country with a high level of media repression and state control. Her first-hand account is a stark reminder of the dangers journalists face when reporting on politically sensitive issues, and illustrates the severe measures the authorities are taking to stifle dissent and control narratives.
“The government wants a monolithic media voice, but as an independent press, we will not give up the truth,” Çetinkaya said, recounting the police’s harsh measures to suppress reporting. Her account underlines the growing challenges facing journalists in Turkey amid a wider climate of censorship and media control.
The arrests took place during mass protests sparked by the Interior Ministry’s decision to appoint trustees for the municipalities of Mardin (Mêrdîn), Batman (Êlih) and Halfeti (Xêlfetî) district. Çetinkaya’s testimony reveals a disturbing pattern of violence, marked by gendered abuse, aimed at silencing both demonstrators and members of the press.
“We, as journalists, made our presence clear, but that did not deter the police,” Çetinkaya recalled. She described how officers began pushing back onlookers and assaulting those trying to document their actions. “They wanted to confiscate our cameras and destroy any footage of the violence,” she added. When she and her colleague tried to film scenes of the crowd being pushed back, they were detained and subjected to violence.
“I was dragged and forced into a vehicle with my colleague, even though we explained that we were members of the press,” she explained. The brutality continued inside the police vehicle, where the detainees were subjected to harsh treatment. “There were eight of us in the vehicle. People were pinned to the ground and some had their noses broken,” she said.
In addition to the physical abuse, Çetinkaya described the gender-based insults and psychological torment she endured. “Female officers pulled my hair and made degrading remarks,” she said. Even after her identity was verified, the abuse continued. “One officer threw my ID back at me and said, ‘This is more than you deserve,'” she noted.
The psychological pressure was relentless, with officers making pointed remarks to intimidate detainees. “One man said he was just passing by, and a policeman replied mockingly, ‘What, like Berkin Elvan, going to buy bread?'” Çetinkaya shared, referring to the tragic case of a teenager killed during protests in Istanbul in 2013.
Despite the dangers, Çetinkaya emphasised the resilience of independent media. “The government’s desire for a single, controlled narrative will not stop us,” she asserted. “We are here to reveal the truth, and if that means facing arrest and violence, so be it. The mainstream media may overlook these stories, but we will continue to expose them.”
Her words are part of a wider critique highlighted in the latest report by the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), which highlights the ongoing violations against female journalists. The October report outlined a range of abuses, including arrests, violence, and censorship, affecting both journalists and the public’s access to information.
Turkey has long been criticised for its treatment of journalists and press freedom. Reports show that female journalists, in particular, are targeted with specific threats, including gender-based violence and harassment. According to the MKG report, as of 1 October, seven female journalists remained in detention and several faced ongoing legal challenges.
In addition to arrests and physical violence, censorship extends to online platforms. The MKG report noted that restrictions such as bandwidth throttling are commonly used to limit public access to information. “These acts deepen public ignorance and expand the state’s ability to impose its narrative,” the report said.
Despite these restrictions, Çetinkaya’s determination reflects a wider backlash against media repression. “Our mission as a free press is clear,” she said. “To document, to expose, and to be resilient in the face of efforts to silence us.”
