According to the Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS), the arrests took place in Ankara, Istanbul, Van, Diyarbakir, Urfa and Mardin. The reason for the arrests was not mentioned.
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“Detaining journalists in dawn operations in these days when the censorship law came into force is an effort to criminalize the profession,” said Ulku Sahin, TGS lawyer.
Four of the arrested journalists, including two women, work for the pro-Kurdish news agencies Mezopotamya and Jin News, according to the union. The Mezopotamya agency confirmed that seven of its journalists were detained.
Media entities and human rights groups called the move a thinly disguised attack on what remains of press freedom in Turkey. At the end of June, another 16 Turkish journalists were arrested in Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey.
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The law that came into force this month in Turkey provides for penalties of up to three years in prison for anyone accused of spreading “false or misleading information”.
Various non-governmental entities regularly denounce the degradation of press freedom in Turkey, which ranks 149th out of 180 in this year's Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rankings on press freedom.
Curto curation:
- Türkiye approves law criminalizing disinformation (DW);
- The war that no one sees (Le Monde Diplomatique Brazil); and
- All about Tayyip Erdogan (CNN Brazil)
(With AFP)
