Journalist Evrim Deniz has been summoned by police for questioning over a report she published about alleged criminal ties of a company involved in a construction project in the southeastern Diyarbakır province.
Deniz received a phone call from the police on the evening of Jul 1, informing her that she was required to give a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation. The inquiry concerns her May 28 article titled “Suspect in criminal ring building a military post” publised on bianet, which detailed allegations surrounding a company contracted to build a military outpost in Hesandin Plateau, located in the Kulp district.
The article reported that the company Kulp Madencilik ve Dış Ticaret A.Ş. had been awarded the construction contract for the outpost, which authorities said was planned for security reasons. It also noted that the company’s owners, Mehmet Emin Eren and Mehmet Nesim Eren, were facing prosecution for allegedly “being members of a criminal organization” and other charges.
Following the publication, the company issued a formal warning to bianet, claiming the article violated the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698. The news outlet subsequently removed certain personal details from the piece in response to the complaint.
Just two days before the contested report, Deniz had published another article highlighting a long-standing local resistance against the same company. The piece, titled “A 17-year struggle in Hesandin Plateau: Defending life against mining,” documented how six villages in Kulp have been resisting Kulp Madencilik’s presence since 2008.
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
Press groups condemn investigation
Journalism organizations condemned the move to summon Deniz, framing it as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom. The DİSK Press Workers (Basın İş) union criticized what it described as routine harassment of journalists.
“Every day, at least one of our colleagues is either summoned for questioning, detained, or subjected to investigation without legal justification,” the union said in a statement.
It emphasized that journalists who serve the public interest through their reporting are increasingly under attack, adding, “It is unacceptable to criminalize journalists for their professional work. We stand with our colleague. Journalism is not a crime.”
The Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association also expressed support for Deniz, saying, “She is being targeted for her journalistic work. We do not accept this. We stand with our colleague.” (HA/VK)
