At the 2024 Successful Journalists of the Year award ceremony hosted by the Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD) in Ankara, Turkey, Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of defending press freedom. The event, held at the Çankaya Municipality Contemporary Arts Centre on Thursday evening, was attended by numerous journalists, writers, and political figures, including Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel.
In her remarks, Hatimoğulları addressed the increasing pressure on opposition journalists, saying “We do not accept this pressure, not only as politicians, but also as citizens defending the right to access information”. She expressed solidarity with journalists who have made great sacrifices for the cause of a free press and remembered those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, such as Musa Anter, Vedat Türkali, Uğur Mumcu, Metin Göktepe, Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin.
“We will create a Turkey where journalists are not murdered or imprisoned for doing their job”, she stated, reiterating her commitment to a democratic Turkey where journalists can work freely without fear of repression. She added: “We promise on behalf of all citizens of Turkey that no pen will be broken.”
During the ceremony, the “Journalist of the Year Award” was presented to Timur Soykan, a journalist from BirGün. However, Soykan was unable to attend the ceremony as he was arrested earlier that morning. Soykan’s detention highlights the ongoing repression of journalists in Turkey. His absence underscored the challenges faced by independent journalists and served as a poignant reminder of the need to protect press freedom.
