Turkish police detained 59 people, including 20 journalists, at a protest in İstanbul’s Şişhane Square on Saturday against the drone strike killings of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in northern Syria.
The demonstration was organised by the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), Basın-İş, Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association and Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, to denounce attacks on press freedom and to demand accountability.
Police blocked the gathering, citing a ban imposed by the Beyoğlu District Governorate, and arrested the protestors after checking their identities.
The authorities later released 45 detainees but referred 14, including nine journalists, to prosecutors. The journalists are: Pınar Gayıp of the Etkin News Agency (Etha), Yadigar Aygün of Gazete Patika, Serpil Ünal of Mücadele Birliği, Hayri Tunç, Gülistan Dursun, Zeynep Kuray, Mahsum Sağlam, Enes Sezgin and Osman Akın. It is expected that they will be interviewed by prosecutors on Saturday.
Press organisations condemned the detentions, calling them attacks on the freedom of expression. Rights groups urged the immediate release of the detainees and an investigation into Daştan and Bilgin’s deaths.
