Number of Arrested DİHA Correspondent Reaches 10

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Dicle News Agency (DİHA) Antep correspondent Mehmet Hakkı Yılmaz has been arrested on charge of illegal organization membership. The number of arrested DİHA correspondents has reached 10 with the arrest of Yılmaz.

According to bianet's Media Monitoring Report covering the months of January, February and March of 2016, the number of arrested journalists was 28. The figure has risen to 34 with the arres of another six journalists since April.

DİHA stated that Hakkı Yılmaz was the first journalist to arrive at the scene of the bomb attack that took place on May in Antep, and then taken into custody.

As DİHA Mardin correspondent Abdulkadir Tugay was detained, Telecommunication Communications Presidency (TİB) has denied access to DİHA website.

The names of the arrested DİHA correspondents are as follows: Nedim Oruç, Nuri Akman, Nazım Daştan, Feyyaz İmrak, Mazlum Dolan, Ziya Ataman, Meltem Oktay, Muhammed Doğru, Bilal Güldem, Mehmet Hakkı Yılmaz.

One DİHA correspondent in custody

In the house raid in Turkey’s southeastern Savur district of Mardin, five people including DİHA correspondent Abdulkadir Turay were detained. DİHA announced that they couldn’t obtain information as to reasons of the detention, and the detainees were taken to District Gendarmerie Post.

DİHA has been blocked for 37th time by the TİB.

The website facing censors as of July 24, 2015 was blocked for the second time in the last three days with this censor. (BK/TK)