TGS Ankara Branch President: The simultaneous detention of three journalists is a wave of repression

Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) Ankara Branch President Sinan Tartanoğlu made a statement regarding the detention of journalists Barış Pehlivan, Seda Selek, and Serhan Asker, who continue their professional work at Halk TV.

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TGS Ankara Branch President: The simultaneous detention of three journalists is a wave of repression

Journalist Barış Pehlivan was detained after conducting an interview with an expert witness, S.B., whom Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu had claimed in a recent press conference was linked to the lawsuits and investigations opened against him. Pehlivan, who had gone to the Halk TV Istanbul studio for the new episode of the program "Kayda Geçsin" (On the Record), which airs on Tuesday evenings on Halk TV, was taken by police teams who arrived at the channel hours before he was scheduled to go on air and was taken to the Vatan Police Headquarters.

Shortly after Pehlivan's detention, Serhan Asker, the host of the program "Görkemli Hatıralar" (Magnificent Memories), was also detained at the airport in his capacity as the Responsible Manager of Halk TV. Finally, a detention warrant was issued for Halk TV presenter Seda Selek on the grounds that she was on air at the time the interview Pehlivan conducted with the expert witness S.B. was broadcast.

The simultaneous detention of 3 journalists sparked widespread reaction. The area in front of Halk TV's Istanbul studio became a site of protests against the detentions by both the public and politicians.

The Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) also paid a visit to the Halk TV Ankara office today. TGS Ankara Branch President Sinan Tartanoğlu made a statement regarding the ongoing process. Tartanoğlu said, ''The simultaneous detention of three journalists is not just an operation, it is a wave of repression.''

Tartanoğlu stated the following:

'IT IS A THREAT AND A DISASTER FOR THE ENTIRE PUBLIC'

“For a long time, we have been observing with concern that judicial bodies are being transformed into a tool of oppression and that the voice of the press is being silenced. Not only is the public's right to receive information being taken away, but freedom of thought and expression is also being destroyed. Investigations are being opened against journalists who report on a press conference, and as if that were not enough, detention warrants are being issued for Barış Pehlivan, Serhan Asker, and Seda Selek due to an interview. These decisions, made solely because of a ‘news report,’ are a clear indication of how much press freedom, which is under Constitutional guarantee in Turkey, is under threat. The simultaneous detention of three journalists is not just an operation, it is a wave of repression.

Today, journalists face the threat of an investigation or detention at any moment while performing the questioning that is the primary duty of our profession. 14 journalists have been arrested this month alone. This is not just a threat and a disaster for the press, but for the entire public.

Today, the political establishment, the government, and unfortunately the judicial institutions are functioning as a tool of threat and a mechanism of intimidation against journalists instead of standing by freedom of the press and expression. For a democracy to function healthily, journalists must be free. If journalists cannot do their jobs fearlessly, this is a loss not only for them but for the entire public. Journalism is also the defense of the public's right to receive information. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to stand together against the pressures applied to journalists and to defend press freedom. Press freedom is not just the right of journalists, but the right of the entire public. This struggle concerns all of us, not just our colleagues. We do not accept the detention of our colleagues, and we demand their immediate release.”

News Source: 12punto