İZMİR - İGC President Dilek Gappi said that with the arrest of Merdan Yanardag, who criticizes the Imrali isolation, there was an attempt to intimidate journalists. TGS İzmir Branch President Nil Kahramanoğlu stated that the voices of the dissidents were tried to be silenced.

 

As TELE1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ stated in a program he attended that the isolation against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from for 28 months, is unlawful, an investigation was launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on charges of "praising the crime and the criminal" and "making propaganda for a terrorist organization". Yanardağ, who was taken into custody on June 27, was arrested by the court.

 

Dilek Gappi, President of the Izmir Journalists' Association (IGC), and Nil Kahramanoğlu, President of the Izmir Branch of the Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS), condemned Yanardağ's arrest.

 

'YANARDAĞ MADE THE NECESSARY QUESTION'

 

Describing Yanardağ's arrest as intimidation and revenge, IGC President Dilek Gappi said: "Politics has turned into a power ground in Turkey. If the one who gains political power does not like the opposing ideas of the other person and is uncomfortable, he turns it into a feeling of revenge. Unfortunately, these events are not new in Turkey. Merdan Yanardağ has also become the target of this.”

 

Drawing attention that those who have been calling democracy "a lawsuit" for years have become unable to tolerate freedom of opinion and press, Gappi said: "The real problem in Turkey is how far true democracy is accepted. Unfortunately, we are faced with practices that go forward, but unfortunately we are faced with practices that go backwards. We are in charge of questioning on behalf of society and the public. This is the job of journalists to question not only the popular topics we like, but also about every subject. Jail sentences and detaining him from a live broadcast is intimidation, it is to strengthen social fear. Yanardağ must be released as soon as possible."

 

'DOZENS OF JOURNALISTS ARE IMPRISONED'

 

Reminding that dozens of journalists are imprisoned within the scope of freedom of expression, TGS İzmir Branch President Nil Kahramanoğlu also said: "Yanardağ was arrested because of his words within the scope of freedom of expression. We also know that Yanardağ will not be the last example, unfortunately because there is a political power that puts pressure on the press with each passing day, especially trying to mute the voices of the dissidents."