MERSIN - Condemning the pressure on the Kurdish press and the arrest of their colleagues, Journalists in Mersin said: "As long as the truth exists, there will be journalists who will cling to it."

 

More than 130 people, including politicians, lawyers, artists and journalists, were detained in the house raids carried out in 21 cities on April 25 as part of Diyarbakır-based investigations by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The arrested journalists, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) Editor Abdurrahman Gök, JINNEWS Correspondent Beritan Canözer, journalists Mehmet Şah Oruç, Remzi Akkaya, Mikail Baru were arrested on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organization". Journalists in Mersin condemned the pressure on the Kurdish press and the arrest of their colleagues.

 

'KURDISH JOURNALISTS ARRESTED GRADUALLY'

 

Stating that pressures and obstructions against journalists are experienced all the time, Sarıkaya said: "The ones who suffer the most from these pressures are the journalists in the Kurdish press. Three operations were carried out against the journalists in the Kurdish press in the last 1 year. Since last year, our journalist friends from the Kurdish press have been arrested gradually. Of course, this is no coincidence. It is obvious that the Kurdish press is the target. No matter who comes to power, there have always been Kurdish journalists who are journalists in this country under the most difficult conditions because Kurdish journalists take a stance that does not keep silent, do not give up in pursuit of the truth despite all pressures, and do not give in. The AKP government is afraid of this example of journalism that stands upright. This is why Kurdish journalists are systematically targeted.”

 

THE CLICHE OF 'BEING A MEMBER OF A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION'

 

Stating that the government is trying to criminalize Kurdish journalists targeted with the concept of "being a member of a terrorist organization", Sarıkaya said: " The concept of organization membership has become a cliché of the state. Journalists who 'disappoint' the government and the state by writing the truth are being tried to be criminalized by stigmatizing them as 'being a member of a terrorist organization'. It is requested that such a serious and grave accusation cause a spiral of silence and that the journalists be left alone; however, we know that 'being a member of a terrorist organization' is a completely empty accusation. That is why an indictment could not be prepared against our friends who had been imprisoned for months. It is possible to see in the indictments prepared that there are no criminal acts by the journalists.”

 

'THE JOURNALISTS ARE TARGETED FOR CONVEYING THE TRUTH TO THE PEOPLE'

 

Diren Keser, a reporter for Pir News Agency (PIRHA), who said that the attempt of journalists to write the truth scared the government, Keser said: "It was not surprising that they were arrested for this reason. The common goal of all arrested journalists is to reveal the truth. It is necessary to express it clearly. Abdurrahman Gök is a journalist who made a world mark with Kemal Kurkut's photograph. Kemal Korkut was killed by police in Newroz, so Gök has been under pressure for years for sharing this truth and the lawsuits are still ongoing. While Gök was a journalist who should be given an award today, he was arrested for sharing this truth and making it known to the public. Another journalist friend of ours, Ahmet Kanbal, is one of the journalists who exposed the thirty years of darkness in Mardin Metropolitan Municipality. I think this is the leading reason for Ahmet Kanbal's detention. Likewise, Beritan Canözer was a journalist who emphasized female journalism. All of our similar friends are also targets today because they bring this reality together with society. And as a result of this situation, they are now in prison.”

 

MA / İbrahim Irmak