Thousands Protest Journalist Arrests in Turkey

Thousands of people protested in Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday against what they described as increasing pressure on journalists in Turkey, including arrests, media shutdowns and the appointment of state administrators.

The demonstrations were attended mainly by journalists, rights groups and opposition representatives, with demonstrators calling for an end to restrictions on the media.

The Turkish Journalists’ Union said 11 journalists had been jailed in the past two months, while several media outlets had also been shut down.

At least 3,000 people gathered on the Asian side of Istanbul, according to police, holding photographs of jailed journalists and chanting slogans including calls for an end to censorship and pressure on the media.

“We will not be silenced. Enough is enough!” and “We will not bow to pressure”, they chanted. 

Press freedom in Turkey has faced increasing restrictions since a failed coup attempt in 2016, with authorities introducing sweeping prosecutions and tighter digital controls.

Recent developments have further raised concerns among rights advocates about the treatment of independent media.

Earlier this month, police raided Halk TV, one of Turkey’s most-watched news channels, halted its broadcasts and installed a government-appointed administrator.

The move followed the closure of the website and social media accounts of digital news outlet T24 over what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda”.

Veteran journalist Zafer Arapkirli said the protests were also about protecting the public’s right to access information through independent media.

He argued that arrests of journalists, the seizure of media outlets, restrictions on news coverage and social media access were intended to intimidate and silence society.

“This gathering is not simply about standing up for journalists,” Arapkirli told AFP after the Istanbul protest.

“It is also about defending respect for society’s right to access information and news through journalists and independent media,” he added. 

In Ankara, at least 3,000 people also joined the demonstration, according to police figures, chanting slogans including “No to censorship” and “Freedom for jailed journalists”.

Gokcer Tahincioglu, coordinator of the now-shuttered T24, said the demonstrations showed journalists’ determination to continue practising their profession freely.

He also called for the conditions needed for independent reporting to be restored as soon as possible.

“Today’s protest was important both because it brought journalists together to make their voices heard and because it defended citizens’ right to access information,”  Tahincioglu told AFP in Ankara.

“Journalists are determined to get one message across: we want to practise journalism, and we want to be able to do so freely,” he said.