DİHA Ankara Office Red Tagged, Parrot 'Tolaz' Locked In

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Police sealed the door of Dicle News Agency (DİHA) Ankara Office yesterday (October 31) evening. Parrot Tolaz, living in the office, was locked in. Workers of DİHA are trying to get the parrot out.

DİHA reporter Hayri Demir talking to bianet has said that the office was sealed without notice, the door locks were changed and that Parrot Tolaz was left locked in.

"They appeared without notice"

DİHA is also among the news agencies closed in the Statutory Decree No. 675 issued on October 29. Diyarbakır and Ankara offices of the news agency were sealed.

Hayri Demir stated that they had already been expecting that the Ankara office would be sealed but they did not expect that this would be done without notice.

"Yesterday, we left the office and closed the door behind. Seazure and seal orders were issued for all offices. They sealed the door without notice [...] We found out that units from police and treasury derpartment had been here. They took the inventory, changed the locks and changed.

"Ankara office existed since the agency was founded iin 2002. We were a team of ten people consisting of reporters working on the fields of politics, economics, judiciary, women and on the kurdish service".

"Tolaz affected negatively if there is no one talking the whole day"

#TolazaÖzgürlük pic.twitter.com/YKgppuu0wL

— Deniz Nazlım (@deniz_nazlim) 1 Kasım 2016

Hayri Demir has noted that they have taken parrot Tolaz they were living with, to the office for 25 days as they was no body at home during the day.

"It is also very cute, used to hang around in the office rather than in its cage and responded to the phone ringing and the door bell. It used to dance to when we played a song.

We were rather sad about him being locked in, than the office being sealed. He is affected negatively if there is no one talking during the day. And it as also cold inside. We are trying to get him out, our attorneys will make the necessay applications. (BK/DG)

* Photographs: Hayri Demir / Twitter