Prosecutors in Diyarbakır have dismissed an investigation into an attempted assault on two reporters from the Rudaw media outlet based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The suspect, identified as M.K., had confronted Rudaw's Diyarbakır correspondent, Maşallah Dekak, and cameraman Mehmet Kanevi, after they responded to him in Kurdish, saying, "Know your place, this is the Republic of Turkey."
The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that apart from the "abstract allegations" of Dekak and Kanevi, no evidence was found. Both the assaulted journalists and M.K. were listed as suspects in the decision.
The Diyarbakır Southeastern Journalists Association condemned the prosecutor's decision in a written statement:
"While the attacks, insults, and threats against our colleagues are clearly visible in the footage, dismissing the case with a ridiculous excuse of 'insufficient evidence' serves to legitimize this provocative attack. This decision will pave the way for any potential attacks our colleagues may face while working on the streets, emboldening the assailants.
We stand with our colleagues who were attacked yesterday as we do today. We also express our determination to closely follow the legal appeal process."
What happened?
DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan visited Diyarbakır on January 12 as part of his election campaign. Maşallah Dekak and Mehmet Kanevi were covering Babacan's contacts in Diyarbakır.
M.K. approached Dekak and attempted to assault him, saying, "This is the Republic of Turkey, you can't speak Kurdish here," and he also insulted and threatened him. Other journalists intervened.
In his statement, M.K. denied the attempted assault, stating, "After praying, I saw Rudaw TV employees at the mosque exit. To make sure, I asked the reporter, 'Is this Rudaw?' and he nodded in confirmation. Upon this, when I told him, 'You introduce Diyarbakır as the capital of Kurdistan,' and said, 'This is the Republic of Turkey,' he responded to me in Kurdish, saying, 'Mind your own business.' I then told him to speak Turkish, to which he replied, 'I don't speak Turkish.'" (HA/VK)
