Reporters Kept Overnight For Trying To Cover Two Police Officers Shooting In The Air

Dicle News Agency’s (DİHA) Istanbul reporters Sertaç Kayar (24) and Yunus Tosun (24), who were taken into custody while doing their job, were released today after they faced the prosecutor.

Kayar, with whom we talked about the subject, said they were taken into custody even though they had shown them their press cards.

Kayar described to bianet the events that led to their being taken into custody:

“When we were walking around Beyoğlu (district of Istanbul) yesterday (October 19) to follow the intensified activities in the recent days, we heard some gun shots and started going in that direction. When we arrive at the Hacıahmet neighborhood we saw two police officers firing their guns in the air. Just when we were preparing our cameras to take some pictures, some police officers approached us and ask what we were doing.”

The allegation that they threw Molotov cocktails at the police officers  

Kayar says they answered the question by saying  “we are reporters and would like to take some pictures”:

“Our press cards were hanging out. Even though we were reporters, they took us to the Kasımpaşa police station without giving any reason. They took our statements and they claimed that we were trying to throw Molotov cocktails at the police officers. We spent the night at the station. They took us to the prosecutor the next day and we were released.”

Kayar says when they had arrived at the scene they had only seen the police officers. According to Kayar, right before they had arrived, there was a group conducting an activity and the police had interfered with the group using Molotov cocktails. (BÇ/TB)