A court has ordered the release of seven journalists who were detained during Mar 24 house raids and eventually arrested over covering protests that erupted following the detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) reported.
The journalists were arrested on charges of violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgül, Now Haber reporter Ali Onur Tosun, freelance photojournalist Bülent Kılıç, reporter Zeynep Kuray, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) photographer Kurtuluş Arı, Bakırköy Municipality photographer Gökhan Kam, and journalist Hayri Tunç are expected to be released in the coming hours.
A 'plot' against journalists
According to multiple reports, the prosecutor initially requested judicial control for the journalists but later amended the request, asking for their arrest instead. The change prompted criticism from journalist unions, including the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) and the DİSK Press Workers (Basın İş) union, which questioned whether the decision was changed under political pressure.
In an article published on Mar 26, TGS Chair Gökhan Durmuş claimed the journalists were targeted with manipulated evidence, including cropped photos submitted as part of the case file. “The photos were taken from such 'interesting' angles that none of the journalists’ cameras, microphones, or press cards were visible,” he wrote, describing the legal proceedings as a "plot" against the journalists.
Prosecutors allged that the journalists were participating in the demonstrations rather than covering them.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç had been asked about the detentions by journalists the previous day. “We will look into their situation,” he said in response.
Seven ournalists arrested over coverage of İmamoğlu protests
Separately, photojournalist Murat Kocabaş and Barış İnce, a columnist for BirGün and the İzmir provincial chair of the Left (SOL) Party, who were detained in İzmir, were referred to courthouse early today. Journalist Yağız Barut, who was also briefly detained, was released without appearing before a prosecutor after giving a statement.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) representative Erol Önderoğlu welcomed the court's decision, while also calling for the release of those still held in İzmir. “We take solace in the release of our journalist friend in Istanbul. We also demand the immediate release of our colleagues who were detained in Izmir as a result of a colossal injustice and are now in their fourth day of detention. Journalism cannot be touched!
"The mass arrest of journalists, as well as the mass release of journalists, has once again revealed the importance of professional solidarity and exposed the deliberate and scandalous targeting of journalism and its role in society. This is unacceptable! We demand the release of our colleagues in Izmir as well.”
The Mar 19 detention of Mayor İmamoğlu, seen as a strong challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, led to protests across Turkey. More than 1,400 people were detained during a week of demonstrations, and there was also a severe media crackdown, with hundreds of activist and left-wing social media accounts posting about the protests being banned and dozens of people being detained over their online posts. (HA/VK)
