Professional press organizations will take to the streets in different cities of Türkiye today against the detentions and arrests of journalists, the appointment of trustees to media organizations, access barriers to news sites and censorship practices.
In the protests to be held with the slogan "No to censorship, freedom to news", journalists will call for a joint struggle for freedom of the press and the public's right to receive news.
ACTION IN 10 CITIES
According to the calendar announced by the press professional organizations, marches and mass press statements will be held in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Kocaeli and Van.
In Istanbul, journalists will gather in front of the Kadıköy Bull Statue at 13.00 and walk to Kadıköy Square. At the same time, a meeting will be held in Adana in front of the Artists Park Press Monument.
Protests in Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Kocaeli and Van will start at 14.00.
ÖZGÜR ÖZEL WILL JOIN THE MARCH IN IZMIR
NEW Party Chairman Özgür Özel announced that he will attend the march to be held in Izmir.
Making a statement on his social media account, Özel supported the call of professional press organizations and said the following:
"We are marching against the black order of the AK Party, which attacks freedom of the press, journalists, television channels and social media accounts."
Özel stated that he would raise his voice against the oppression in 14 provinces and announced that he would march with journalists in Izmir at 14.00.
Inviting citizens to join the protests, Özel called for solidarity with press workers and for protecting the right to receive news.
TÜLAY HATIMOĞULLARI WILL JOIN THE PROVEN IN ISTANBUL
DEM Party Co-Chairman Tülay Hatimoğulları is expected to attend the protest to be held in Istanbul.
It is expected that journalists, as well as political party representatives, professional organizations and citizens will come together in the action in Kadıköy.
JOINT CALL FROM JOURNALISTS: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
In a joint statement published before the protests, professional press organizations reacted to journalists being subjected to judicial processes due to their news, the questions they asked and the facts they revealed.
Emphasizing that journalism is not a crime, the organizations reminded that reporting, asking questions, criticizing and carrying out supervision on behalf of the public are constitutionally guaranteed.
In the statement, it was pointed out that freedom of the press is a fundamental right that concerns not only journalists but also the whole society.
He called on press professional organizations, political parties, unions, bar associations, human rights organizations and citizens to support the protests.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, detention and arrest orders against journalists, house arrest and electronic handcuff practices, appointment of trustees to media organizations and access restrictions to internet news sites have brought the debates about freedom of the press back to the agenda.
Especially the process following the appointment of a trustee to TELE 1 and the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV and the suspension of its broadcasts caused the reaction of professional press organizations.
Access barriers to the social media accounts of journalists, as well as experts who inform the public and citizens who share news, were also criticized in the joint statement.
Press professional organizations decided to organize a demonstration across the country on October 24, which coincides with the first anniversary of the appointment of a trustee to TELE 1. The organizations emphasized that the joint fight against interventions against the press should be expanded.
