Hard to Be a Journalist Under Curfew

Various journalists spoke up on their experience regarding yesterday’s curfew in Diyarbakır province as well as other districts in Turkey’s Kurdish-populated cities.  

The curfew (in Diyarbakır, Batman, Mardin’s Dargeçit, Derik, Kızıltepe, Nusaybin, Mazıdağı, Ömerli, Savur districts, Van’s Erciş district and Siirt’s Kurtulan district) was imposed after the clashes between those who protested for Kobane and those claimed to be Hüda-Par members which left at least 18 dead across Turkey.  

“Our staff could only roam with government-approved press cards”

Diyarbakır Yenigün newspaper’s page editor Osman Ergün told bianet that they had issues with their staff who didn’t have government-issued press cards [sarı basın kartı in Turkish]. 

“We have three of staff with press cards. However, 8 of our staff were escorted to our newspaper with a journalist holding a government-issued press card.”

Çelik: We make circles around Diyarbakır for news

Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporter Ömer Çelik told bianet that it became extremely difficult for reporters to reach news venues in Diyarbakır. 

“We have heard that Democratic Society Congress (DTK)-affiliated offices were raid by the police. However, there were riot and plain-cloth police everywhere. Some streets were blocked by police tanks. They were turning us back. Sometimes we had to make circles to reach news. We could only reach one office so far. Police also threatened to detain a car with a non-press card owner colleague,” he said.  

AA reporters injured in Istanbul 

On the other hand, in Istanbul, where no curfew was imposed, two journalist affiliated with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency (AA) were injured while reporting in Okmeydanı district. 

Melik Fırat Yücel and Şebnem Coşkun were wounded by drop shots as they were recording a footage of burning shops due to molotov cocktails. 

AA released a statement claiming that the drop shots came from the “angle of protestors” and had no “definite source”. 

While Yücel was injured in the hand and leg, Coşkun was slightly injured in the limb. Following the incident, journalists were hospitalized and given a 3-day medical leave. (EÖ/AS/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish