Journalists file criminal complaints after being attacked while covering a protest
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Two journalists have filed a criminal complaint against the people who attacked them following a demonstration in Taksim, İstanbul on July 31.
After the demonstration, some demonstrators were attacked by a mob in Kasımpaşa, an adjacent neighborhood. Sendika.Org reporters Derya Saadet and Ceylan Bulut were also attacked.
Before filing the complaints, the journalists made a statement for the press in front of the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.
CLICK - Violence towards journalists continues by both police and civilians
Saadet said the attack was a result of impunity in the attacks against journalists and the fact that media outlets controlled by the government have been turned into provocative propaganda tools.
"After the demonstration held on Beyoğlu Tunnel Square on July 31 at 19.00 to protest the Konya Massacre, a group of demonstrators began heading towards Kasımpaşa. As journalists, we also headed to Kasımpaşa to follow the events.
"Riot police officers that were following the demonstrators turned back before arriving in Kasımpaşa. After a short while, we went to Yakupağa street as we heard people saying 'They are attacking.'
"We encountered a group of attackers holding sticks. From Yakupağa street to Bahriye street, the attackers threatened journalists with death."
Footage of the attack:
Konya'daki ırkçı katliamı protesto eden yurttaşlara ve gazetecilere Kasımpaşa'da faşist saldırı
— BirGün Gazetesi (@BirGun_Gazetesi) July 31, 2021
@sendika_org https://t.co/OIdHJCv2SU pic.twitter.com/pVmgv6oUOb
"The attackers provoked the people around, saying that 'They came here to burn Kasımpaşa.' While the attackers were trying to prevent journalists from taking footage, people who introduced themselves as plainclothes police officers intervened not in the attackers but in journalists on the excuse of performing an ID check. Meanwhile, the group of attackers began targeting journalists."
While reporter Ceylan Bulut was trying to film the attacker beating Mesopotamia Agency reporter Enes Sezgin, she was also beaten by the mob, she said, adding that the reporter's equipment was also damaged.
The plainclothes cops did not try to prevent the attack and Özgür Gelecek reporter Taylan Öztaş was detained at the hospital he went to after the attack, Saadet noted.
"It's been four days since this incident. Still, no action has been taken against the fascist attackers," she said, adding that the security forces protected the perpetrators. (HA/VK)