At a time when the Turkish authorities have unleashed a new wave of repression, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Turkish affiliates TGS, GCD and DİSK Basın-İş are demanding the immediate release of journalist Ismail Saymaz, who has been detained early Wednesday morning as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the Gezi Park protests.
On Wednesday, Turkish police have arrested the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu (CHP), the primary challenger to the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in dawn raids that also ensnared 100 politicians, business people and municipal officials accused of corruption and links to terror groups. The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office said that İmamoğlu was charged as “the leader of a criminal organisation” accused of extortion, fraud and corruption. Prosecutors also accused İmamoğlu of “aiding a terrorist organisation” in reference to the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK).
The head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, denounced İmamoğlu’s arrest as “a coup”. Turkish police were out in force across Istanbul on Wednesday amid a four-day ban on public protests and meetings following İmamoğlu’s arrest.
Against this backdrop of a wave of political repression in Turkey, the Turkish authorities yesterday arrested the prominent journalist Ismail Seymaz, columnist for Halk TV. He was accused of “aiding an attempt to overthrow the Turkish government,” with the prosecutor claiming he played an active role in the protests, spread misleading information on social media, and attempted to incite the public against law enforcement. The 2013 Gezi Park protests erupted over government plans to demolish Gezi Park in İstanbul’s Taksim district. They quickly turned into mass anti-government demonstrations that were violently suppressed by the authorities.
Five days ago, Saymaz said on social media that his passport had been confiscated and a travel ban had been imposed. He was detained during a police raid at his home, on Wednesday morning.
“Ismail Saymaz is one of Türkiye’s most respected journalsits, renowned for his fearless, independent and professional reporting,” said EFJ Vice-President Mustafa Kuleli. “His arbitrary detention is not only an attack on press freedom but a blattant attempt to silence and intimidate all journalists who dare to speak truth to power. This troubling move undermines the fundamental principles of democracy and the public’s right to information. We demand his immediate release and call on authorities to cease using judicial harassment as a tool to suppress independent journalism”.
Nazmi Bilgin, president of the Association of Journalists (GCD) strongly condemned the arrest of Istanbul Mayor and the increasing pressure on journalists: “The arrests of Ismail Saymaz and Servet Yildirim, the release of Ece Üner under judicial control and travel ban, the operation against Halk TV, and the unecessary arrest of its editor-in-chief, all this demonstrate an attempt to criminalise journalism. The operations aim to punish news reporting and deter journalists from doing their job… The real crime is trying to silence the press”.
Source: EFJ
