Esra Solin Dal, a Kurdish journalist with Mezopotamya Agency, was subjected to a strip search at Bakırköy Women’s Prison in Istanbul after her arrest on 23 April. This act, widely condemned as a severe abuse of human rights, has led to a significant outcry and is viewed as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom in Turkey.
The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) responded robustly to the treatment of Dal. “Last night, Mezopotamya Agency journalist Esra Solin Dal was subjected to a strip search at Bakırköy Women’s Prison, which we categorically denounce as torture and a violation of human dignity,” stated a DFG spokesperson. “We will not accept this degrading treatment; no attack can subdue the free press. We will continue to expose such abuses.”
In reaction to her treatment, Dal’s legal team announced that they will file a complaint against this treatment, which they deem not just a search but an assault on personal dignity.
Mahmut Oral, representing the Turkish Journalists Association (TGS), commented on the broader implications of the arrests. “The arrests of journalists, particularly following Turkey’s military posturing, reveal a clear intention to suppress the Kurdish press ahead of military operations,” he explained. “The government’s lack of tolerance for journalism and transparency is evident and increasingly draconian.”
Roza Metinâ, head of the Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association (MKG), also highlighted the targeted nature of the crackdown. “The free press is under attack precisely because it is the voice of truth and reality,” Metinâ stated. “The government targets the press to achieve their objectives with cross-border operations. This concerted action against journalists is both national and international. We stand with our colleagues and demand their immediate release.”
The arrests have occurred against a backdrop of broader repressive measures against Kurdish journalists and media outlets in Europe and Turkey. Recently, Belgian police, at the request of French authorities, raided Brussels-based Kurdish TV outlets, an action widely viewed as part of Turkey’s ongoing policy to suppress Kurdish voices and media under the guise of counterterrorism ahead of its cross-border operation into Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Belgium raids were reportedly part of a European Investigation Order concerning suspicions of terrorist financing linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), however all arrestees have been released, raising concerns over the legitimacy of their initial arrests.
