'We are here, we are recording': Journalists defy ban on filming police officers

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A hundred documentarians, activists, journalists and documentary photographers and seven organizations have launched a campaign against a police circular banning recording images and voices of police officers during demonstrations.

The General Directorate of Security issued the circular on April 27. It says recording images and voices of police officers violates privacy and is "illegally processing and sharing personal information."

Police officers should prevent those who record their images and videos and take judicial action against them, according to the circular.

"While the world discusses making the footage from police cameras accessible to the public without any permission, hoping it to be deterrent and in order to reduce the violence of law enforcement officers and keep them under control, we do not accept this practice, which is obviously intended to the contrary.

"First of all, the 'principle of protection of personal data' is not applicable to law enforcement agencies that have the authority to use public power in the public sphere.

"In its current form, the circular is in violation of the Constitution and the laws. The Constitution is taken into account as a whole and freedom of expression cannot be prevented by a "circular" while the constitution has articles 26 (Freedom to Express and Spread Thought), 27 (Freedom of Science and Art) and 28 (Freedom of the Press).

"Press and broadcast tools are not criminal instruments. Everyone has the right to benefit from communication and broadcast tools. The people have the right to information and to have information and opinion about happenings. Nobody's right to have an opinion can be restricted."

"Consequently, such a circular can cover up possible incidents of police violence and can even encourage such violence (preventing camera recording and detaining our colleagues who want to film an incident by disregarding their constitutional rights) and is unlawful. It cannot be put forward as the reason of the protection of personal data.

"Because of all these reasons, this circular shared by the General Directorate of Security is null and void for us." (RT/VK)