DİYARBAKIR - Drawing attention to the importance of solidarity in the letter he sent, DFG Co-Chair Serdar Altan, one of the 16 imprisoned journalists said: "It is necessary to be determined to make this rising voice louder because solidarity grows."

 

As part of the investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 16 out of 22 detained journalists were arrested on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organisation" after an eight-day detention period.

 

Serdar Altan, co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), one of the imprisoned journalists, sent a letter via his attorneys. Stating that the arrest of the journalists was a mise-en-scène, in his letter Altan said: "The film editor of this scene was the current rulers, the scriptwriter was the law enforcement under the command of the Ministry of Interior, and the director was the prosecutor who questioned us personally."

 

Altan mentioned the following in the continuation of the letter:

 

IT IS A MISE-EN-SCENE

 

“After a long period of unlawful detention, we were arrested and thrown into prison after the prosecutor's and the judge's interrogation, which was a mise-en-scene. It is useful to remind that the day we were taken into custody was the anniversary of the murder of journalist Hafız Akdemir, who was murdered by 'unknown assailants' in 1992. The mentality that killed our colleaque in the middle of the street back then is trying to silence us today by putting us in dungeons.

 

WE ARE JOURNALISTS

 

In fact, as is known by the public opinion, the government that has thrown us behind bars also knows that we are journalists and we are here because we defend the people's right to receive information, because we report the truth. Starting from here, we can better understand the situation the country is in. There has never been a time when freedom of thought and expression was trampled to this extent. The presence of more than 60 journalists in prisons is clear proof of this, just like the fact that 16 more journalists are arrested is a clear proof of how big the problem we are talking about is. 

 

THE EDITOR OF THE MISE-EN-SCENE POWER

 

At the beginning, we mentioned that our arrest was a mise-en-scène. The film editor of this mise-en-scène was the current rulers, the scriptwriter was the law enforcement under the command of the Ministry of Interior, and the director was the prosecutor who questioned us personally.. It is clear they want to silence us, to cut us off from the streets. For this reason, it was journalism, not us, who were put on trial in this file.

 

WE WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT THE TRUTH

 

Despite all this, we and all our honorable colleagues who continue to pursue the truth will continue to report. If they think they can silence us by putting us behind bars, they are so wrong.

 

On this occasion, we would like to express our endless thanks to our colleagues, national and international professional press organisations, non-governmental organisations and our people, whom we tried to convey news to, who shouted out loud that they will not be silent, who did not leave us alone during this 10-day ordeal. Of course, we owe a debt of gratitude to our attorneys who did not leave us alone even for a moment during the detention and the interrogation.

 

It is necessary to strengthen this rising voice and make it louder and to be determined because solidarity grows. Once again, I greet everyone."

 

WHAT HAPPENED?

 

As part of the investigation carried out by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 16 journalists out of 22 people who were detained on June 8 were arrested on the allegation of "being a member of a terrorist organisation" on June 16. JINNEWS Manager Safiye Alagaş, DFG Co-chair Serdar Altan, MA Editor Aziz Oruç, Xwebûn Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Ömer Çelik, Mazlum Doğan Güler, İbrahim Koyuncu, Neşe Toprak, Elif Üngür, Abdurrahman Öncü, Suat Doğuhan, Remziye Temel, Ramazan Geciken, Lezgin Akdeniz ve Mehmet Şahin, who referred to the Court of Peace on duty, were arrested.

 

For those who want to send a letter to journalist Altan, the address is as follows: Diyarbakır D Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi / 1'nci bölüm 4'üncü kısım 123 Oda Yenişehir/Diyarbakır.