International groups denounce 'blacklisting' of 20 journalists by police

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The partner organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) have expressed solidarity with the 20 journalists who have been revealed to be "blacklisted" by the General Directorate of Security (EGM).

On September 5, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) revealed that the Foreign Relations Directorate of the EGM had sent a "confidential" document to several provincial directorates about the journalists.

The document framed the journalists as members of the "Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)," an Islamic group led by the US-based cleric Fetullah Gülen, because of their writings for the Journalists Post, which is run by the International Journalists Association.

The directorate considers the association founded in 2019 linked to the Gülen group. The list was reportedly prepared based on intelligence information collected by the police against the group.

"Our organizations urge the Turkish authorities to end the repression of media freedom advocates and stop legal proceedings against the listed journalists," said a statement signed by ARTICLE 19 Europe, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), International Press Institute (IPI) and OBC Transeuropa.

The listed journalists are: Engin Sağ, Şemsi Açıkgöz, Mustafa Kılıç, Yüksek Durgut, Ramiz Kılıçarslan, Necdet Çelik, Hasan Cücük,  İsmail Muhammet Sağıroğlu, Enes Cansever,  Basri Doğan, Türkmen Terzi, Vedat Demir, Rabia Yavuz Türe, Yunus Erdoğdu, Naciye Nur Kılıç, Erkan Pehlivan, Erkin Emet, Dicle Müftüoğlu, Dicle Fırat (Journalists Association DFG Co-chairperson), Mustafa Kuleli (General Secretary of Journalists Union of Turkey and EFJ Vice-President) and Gökhan Durmuş (President of Journalists Union of Turkey).

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(HA/VK)