Attack on AA’s Diyarbakır Reporter Condemned

Aydın Bolkan General Secretary at Free Journalists Organization based in Diyarbakır condemned the attack on Anatolia Agency reporters during the Kurdish-teaching school sealing crisis, saying that “they didn’t accept the violence and they were annoyed”. 

The incident took place as a group of protestors who initiated a watch at Ferzad Kemanger Elementary School - a private Kurdish-teaching school initiated by Eğitim Sen Diyarbakır Branch, Kürdi-Der and Education Support Houses - after the governor’s office decree to seal the premisses on the basis of license issues. Hüseyin Bağış, an on-duty reporter from Turkey’s semiofficial Anatolia News Agency (AA) was injured from his leg after being attacked by the group members.  

“We refuse any kind of attack on media workers, we don’t think it is right. They are doing their job and they are working for the public right to be informed,” Bolkan told bianet. 

During the incident, on the other hand, the camera of Aziz Aslan, a cameraman who attempted to defend Bağış, also suffered from damages. Hospitalized at Selahaddin Eyyubi Public Hospital, Bağış received a medical intervention with three stitches in the leg. 

GGC urged politicians to take action

In addition to that Southeastern Journalists Organization (GGC) released a statement, urging the politicians to take action against the attacks on journalists, they considered as “the guarantees of democracy”. 

Claiming that police temporarily detained journalists in order to provide security in some situations, the statement also continued that such practice was not acceptable. 

Two incidents in August 

In August, İlke News Agency reporter Ali Adiyaman was also kidnapped on his way to a family visit in Silvan’s Dağcılar village. The journalist was released after a couple of days. 

On August 23, an allegedly PKK-affiliated seized the equipment of Anatolia Agency and  İhlas News Agency reporters who were covering the blocking of autoroutes between Varto and Karlıova. They reportedly the publishing premisses of Varto Haber newspaper as well. (EÖ/BM).

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.