Student Journalist Arrested Due to One Statement

Mensur Küçükkarga, a journalism major at Atatürk University and reporter at Dicle News Agency (DIHA), has been arrested upon an eyewitness statement that he has attended a Kobane protest in Hınıs district in the eastern province of Erzurum. 

The siege of Kobane by ISIS on October 6 has been protested across Turkey’s Kurdish-populated cities. The unrest during the protests left around 40 people dead. 

Arrested upon a statement

Detained on October 21 from his apartment in Palandöken district,  Küçükkarga was ordered to stand trial after his procedures were completed in Hınıs District Police Station. The court arrested Küçükkarga, sending him to a prison in Erzurum province. 

DİHA also reacted to the arrest, reacting that the arrest was executed just upon an eyewitness statement. 

Kadir Güzelbaba, Küçükkarga’s advocate, said that the court issued its ruling upon abstract accusations. 

“The arrest was unjust,” he said. 

Güzelbaba added that they will appeal the ruling: “Only one week, a defendant who was arrested for joining Kobane protests, testified that Mensur was there too. My client was arrested unfairly due to this statement.” 

BIA Media Monitoring: 19 journalists in jail 

A media monitoring report released by bianet yesterday revealed that at least 19 journalists are in jail between the period of July - September 2014.  

After the release of Yurt newspaper reporter Hasan Kabakulak and arrest of Mensur Küçükkarga, the toll remained the same. Journalists are being kept in prison for charges related to having links with “armed terrorist organizations” or doing publishing on their behalf. (EÖ/BM).

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.