ANKARA - Press Professional Organizations, in their press release regarding the journalists exposed to police violence, stated that they would not get used to the violence they were subjected to and said: ‘’Take your hands off over the journalists. We will break this blockade with solidarity.’’

 

Press Council Contemporary Journalists Association, Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, Diplomacy Reporters Association, DISK Basın-İş Economy Reporters Association, Journalists Association, Haber-Sen Izmir Journalists Association, Parliamentary Reporters Association, Samsun Journalists Association, Turkish Photojournalists Association, Journalists Union of Turkey, News Camerapersons Associations of Turkey wanted to make a joint press release in front of Ankara Governor's Office to condemn the violence against journalists. However, the statement that was wanted to be made in front of the governor's office was not allowed by the police. The mass went to Abdi İpekçi Park in Sıhhiye and made the statement here. In the statement in which the slogans ‘’Free press cannot be silenced’’ and ‘’We want to breathe’’ were shouted, Esra Koçak, Chairperson of the Ankara Branch of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), read the press text on behalf of the masses.

 

‘Our colleagues are facing severe violence’

 

Esra started her words by saying ‘’You cannot take press’ breath away. Public officials perpetrating violence against journalists, commit crimes, we must stop this together’’ and reminded that it is the public duty of the journalist to follow and report the citizens who took to the streets to seek their rights in Turkey. Esra stated: ‘’Our colleagues have recently started to face heavy violence while carrying out their duties on behalf of the whole society. The experiences have reached a very dangerous level. Many journalists who tried to watch the protest in Taksim were battered, they wanted to be taken into custody, they were prevented from taking footage, the images on their machines were wanted to be deleted. But now journalists face death while doing their job. The latest example of this is the violence suffered by AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılıç following the protests in Taksim. The police, who unfairly and unlawfully prevented Kılıç from doing his duty, committed violence that could result in death by pressing the neck of our colleague, whom he had laid on the ground, with his knee. While the images of George Floyd, who was killed with the same method by a police officer in America, caused indignation all over the world, the violence by the security forces in our country, as if taking this as an example, worries us deeply.’’

 

‘We will break this blockade with solidarity’

 

Stating that the police forces prevented the public’s right to learn the truth, Esra said that it was not only the journalists who were left breathless, but also the people’s right. Esra reminded the Ministry of Interior’s circular, ‘’People who view the police intervention can be intervened’’ and she continued as: ‘’All professional press organizations reacted to this circular, a lawsuit was filed in the Council of State. If the purpose of this violence is to harass the press and keep it away from doing its job, we once again shout out loud that it is not possible to achieve this goal. We strongly condemn this unacceptable understanding. We call on all our colleagues to peacefully protest the violence by leaving our cameras, photograph machines and notebooks in front of the governorships in three provinces to express our reaction. We will not get used; we will never accept violence against journalists. Take your hands off over the journalists. We will break this blockade with solidarity.’’

 

After the statement, journalists protested the violence by putting down their cameras and photograph machines.