Threats, harassment against three women journalists
Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish
Seyhan Avşar, a reporter for Halk TV's web portal, has announced that she was threatened after reporting on the testimony of a "hitman" working for Alaattin Çakıcı, a convicted organized crime leader.
She said she was threatened after reporting on April 23 that Barış Duyu was nabbed with 16 kilos of heroin and said in his testimony that he had been working for the intelligence services for years.
"I will file a complaint on Monday. However, if something happens to me, I want it to be known who is responsible for that," wrote Avşar on her Twitter account late yesterday (May 19).
Çakıcı had been convicted of leading a criminal organization and spent 16 years behind bars. He was released in 2020 after an amendment to the criminal enforcement law. He has close links to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the allies of the government.
Alaattin Çakıcı’nın adamlarından Barış Duyu’nun 16 kilo eroinle yakalandığı ve ifadesinde uzun yıllardır istihbarata çalıştığını yazdığım için tehdit ediliyorum. Pazartesi suç duyurusunda bulunacağım. Ancak başıma bir şey gelirse sorumluları bellidir bilinsin isterim.
— Seyhan Avşar (@seyhanavsar) May 19, 2022
Threat for reporting on ISIS ties
Journalist Hale Gönültaş also announced that she has been threatened for her article titled "Jihad video of the ISIS woman with a knife in her hands was recorded at Nation Garden" which was published at Kısa Dalga on May 12.
In the article, Gönültaş wrote that the woman in question had close connections with the Tevhid group and stayed in their houses for a while before she was arrested.
"I did not make the threats and harassment from the Tevhid Group visible. However, the campaign launched by targeting my name on social media has arrived at a dangerous level" Gönültaş wrote on Twitter.
Tevhid Grubu'ndan gelen tehdit içeren arama ve tacizleri görünür kılmadım.
— Hale Gönültaş (@hale_gonultas) May 19, 2022
Lakin söz konusu grubun sosyal medya üzerinden ismimi hedef göstererek başlattığı kampanya riskli bir sürece doğru ilerlemektedir. https://t.co/XvByUXibVv
Harassment
Freelance reporter Eylem Emel Yıldız, who works for outlets such as Al-Monitor and Yeşil Gazete also said she was harassed.
"There is a pervert who is harassing me from everywhere he can find, from social media to my number. Blocking does not stop him. Today he harassed me again from another number. I will file a criminal complaint," she wrote on Twitter.
Sosyal medyadan numarama kadar bulabildiği her yerden beni taciz eden bir sapık var.Engellemek durdurmuyor.Bugün başka bir numaradan yine rahatsız etti. Suç duyurusunda bulunacağım ama ölüm tehditlerine bile bir işlem yapılmıyorken buna ne yapılır bilmiyorum.Korkmaya başladım...
— Eylem Emel Yılmaz (@eylm_ylmaz) May 19, 2022
RSF: Authorities should take action
Erol Önderoğlu, the Turkey Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reacted to threats and harassment against journalists.
"Hale Gönültaş, Seyhan Avşar, and Eylem Emel Yıldız... Three women journalists announced that they were threatened. It is enough! We call on the authorities to take action," he wrote on Twitter.
Journalists' Union of Turkey also stated that they follow the process and called the authorities on duty.
Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) also shared a message from Twitter stating:
"CFWIJ extends support to the journalists & calls on the authorities to ensure their safety. The perpetrators must be held to account!"
#Turkey: @seyhanavsar & @hale_gonultas were targeted & threatened by extremists & Alaattin Çakıcı, a far-right mafia group. #CFWIJ extends support to the journalists & calls on the authorities to ensure their safety. The perpetrators must be held to account! pic.twitter.com/eXhTxXMg0Z
— #WomenInJournalism (@CFWIJ) May 20, 2022
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(HA/TB/VK)