DİYARBAKIR - Reacting to the detention of Mesopotamia Agency and Jinnews reporters, Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association said, "They will not achieve their goals with oppression policies. The free press will not bow down to these attacks."

 

Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) issues a written statement protesting the detention of 11 journalists, 7 of whom are women, during dawn raids on Tuesday morning in nine cities of Turkey as part of an investigation launched by a prosecutor in Ankara.

 

“Journalists will not give up writing the truth and facts,” MGKP said.

 

"Attacks, pressure, violence and torture against Kurdish journalists and the free press continue non-stop. The resistance of journalists and the free press in face of such attacks also continue. With great intolerance to this resistance, the government once again raided the homes of journalists and detained many journalists under torture.”

 

CENSORSHIP LAW FOLLOWED BY RAIDS

 

MGKP highlighted the timing of the raids and detention of 11 Kurdish journalists:

 

“It is attention grabbing that the approval of the censorship law with votes of the ruling coalition of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is followed by these raids. Journalists who have not bow to the censorship law were detained.”

 

‘THE NEW-BORN BABY OF ZEMO AGGOZ IS HUNGRY’

 

Reminding the case of 16 journalists, who were sent to jail four months ago following a similar pattern of witch-hunt like raids, MGKP noted, “After four months, there is not even an indictment prepared for those 16 journalists. Yet they continue to arrest journalists because of their journalistic works. These arrests, pressure and torture only seek to sabotage the struggle of journalists and to criminalize journalism.”

 

Stressing on the gravity of the situation of one of the arrested women journalists, named Zemo Aggoz, a Mesopotamia Agency reporter who gave birth 45 days ago, MGKP said, “Journalists were tortured and handcuffed from behind as they were being arrested. The new-born baby of Zemo Aggoz, who was arrested in Ankara, was left hungry.”

 

“The free press will not bow down to these attacks,” MGKP concluded, “Free press will keep on fighting and reporting the truths. Women journalists will not step back and will not let the pen of their colleagues left on the ground.”