The winners of the 29th Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards have been announced. bianet's human rights editor Ayşegül Başar the Jury Special Award for her report revealing the ill-treatment of a protestor accused of lowering a Turkish flag, despite the fact that no such charges were brought against him in court.
Footage of the incident was circulated on social media alongside claims that the individual had attempted to lower a flag during January protests in Mardin against the attacks on Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Başar’s reporting revealed that the court did not ask D.K. any questions regarding these allegations. Instead, the youth was arrested on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" and "terrorist propaganda."
The jury, composed of Abdurrahman Gök, Çiğdem Toker, Gökçer Tahincioğlu, Nazım Alpman, Nurcan Bilge Gökdemir, Özlem Akarsu Çelik, Sultan Özer, and Timur Soykan, decided to grant three Jury Special Awards in the written news category this year due to a high volume of quality applications.
The awards were established in 1998 to honor the memory of Evrensel reporter Metin Göktepe, who was killed under police custody in 1996.
Winners will receive their awards at a ceremony held on Apr 10, marking the birthday of Metin Göktepe. (VK)
