Violence, censorship and a restraining order against journalists

Here is bianet's summary of the interferences with press freedom between July 12-25:

Police violence towards journalists

During the demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the 2015 ISIS bombing in Suruç, Urfa, which claimed 33 lives, police pushed back journalists with shields and fired rubber bullets at them. Eight journalists were injured. Journalism organizations condemned the violence.

Police brutality towards journalists has become more frequent since the General Directorate of Security (EGM) on April 30 issued a circular banning recording voices and images of police officers during demonstrations, which it says "violates officers' privacy."

CLICK - Police ban journalists from recording police violence

Interior minister's cousin

The Ankara Batı 1st Penal Judgeship of Peace ruled that access to news articles about unfair trade allegations against Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu's cousin should be blocked.

According to reports, the company of the minister's cousin sold a product to the Social Security Institution (SGK) at a unit price of 1,000 lira (116 USD) whereas the market price of that product was 15 lira for each unit.

The allegation was first made by Sedat Peker, a convicted organized crime leader formerly allied with the government who has been making corruption allegations since early May.

Restraining order against local journalist

The sub-governor of Şarköy district in Tekirdağ province has a restraining order issued against local journalist Nuri Çağlar for a month because of a news report he published.

The report included a photograph showing that the District Security Directorate personnel working as security guards in the lodgings of Sub-governor Şenol Kaya were washing his private car.

Previously, the local press in Şarköy reported that Kaya allowed unlicensed construction in the lodgings.

After an application by the sub-governor, the Şarköy Penal Court of First Instance imposed a one-month restraining order based on Law no. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women.

Çağlar will be unable to go to the places where the Sub-Governor is and he will be unable to utter any words or show any behavior involving violence or fear.

The same restraining order stipulates that the journalist will be unable to write or post anything that would disturb Kaya in his newspaper or on social media accounts.

Detailed ruling in Hrant Dink murder case

The İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court issued the detailed ruling on the case of the murder of journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

Thirty-seven defendants were acquitted and 26 were given prison sentences at the final hearing on March 26.

In the detailed ruling, the court said that "the so-called investigations carried out in organizational cooperation from the very beginning had been preplanned and put into practice step by step before the related murder was committed by the FETÖ/PDY Armed Terrorist organization members in 2007."

(VK)