Joint statement from 15 bar associations for Alican Uludağ and İsmail Arı: 'Arrests are a blow to press freedom'

Bar associations from 15 different provinces, including Diyarbakır, Van, and Şanlıurfa, have taken a joint stance against the arrest warrants issued for journalists Alican Uludağ and İsmail Arı. The published text states that these arrests create heavy pressure on press and expression freedom and harm the democratic social order.

In the joint statement by the bar associations titled "Journalism is not a crime," they criticized the suspicious punishment of news reports with high public interest, particularly those produced recently, and emphasized that the arrests also deprive society of its right to access accurate information.

The statement is as follows:

'IT ALSO DIRECTLY TARGETS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO ACCESS ACCURATE INFORMATION'

'The arrest of journalist Alican Uludağ on February 20 and journalist İsmail Arı on March 23 reveals a highly concerning picture regarding press freedom and freedom of expression. Journalism is one of the indispensable elements of a democratic society with its function of informing the public, oversight, and uncovering the truth. Subjecting news reporting, research, and criticism activities to criminal sanctions targets not only journalists but also the public's right to access accurate information.

Articles 26 and 28 of the Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantee freedom of expression and the press. These freedoms have a wider scope of protection, especially regarding news and criticism concerning matters of public interest. Despite this, depriving journalists of their liberty through the measure of arrest is contrary to the principles of proportionality and being a last resort. Arrest is an exceptional protective measure and cannot be turned into a tool of punishment. Criminalizing journalistic activity not only undermines the principle of the rule of law but also causes severe damage to the democratic social order.

'JOURNALISTS' FREEDOMS MUST BE GUARANTEED'

The arrest decisions issued for journalists Alican Uludağ and İsmail Arı create a chilling effect on press freedom, weaken public oversight mechanisms, and violate the public's right to receive information. As regional bar associations, we do not accept the criminalization of journalistic activity. We demand that such interventions against freedom of expression and the press be ended immediately, that the exceptional nature of the arrest measure be respected, and that the freedoms of journalists be guaranteed.'

The signatory bar associations are as follows:

Adıyaman Bar Association, Ağrı Bar Association, Batman Bar Association, Bingöl Bar Association, Bitlis Bar Association, Tunceli Bar Association, Diyarbakır Bar Association, Hakkari Bar Association, Iğdır Bar Association, Kars Bar Association, Muş Bar Association, Siirt Bar Association, Şanlıurfa Bar Association, Şırnak Bar Association, Van Bar Association.

News Source: 12punto