JINHA

AMED – Staff members of shut down channels and radio stations have launched a three day sit down protest in order to remove the obstacles against press, broadcasts and journalists and for the reopening of the closed media organizations.

Staff members of closed channels and radio stations gathered in the office of the Southeast Journalists' Association (GGC) and held a press conference. A banner reads “Free press, free society” was hanged on the wall and the journalists wore a t-shirt, which reads, “I am a journalist”. The journalists, who were in the office in order to cover the protest, put their cameras on the ground to support the journalists. Faruk Balıkçı, representative of İMC TV Diyarbakır, read the statement on behalf of the journalists. The main coup has been carried out against journalists with the Statutory Decree has been issued in accordance with the State of Emergency, which was declared following the attempted coup under the name of the fight against putschists.”

Faruk stated that one of the most important indicators of democracy in one country is freedom of press and continued, “However, the journalists’ right to report and the people’s right to information have been blocked in the region for one year. The main coup has been carried out against journalists with the Statutory Decree has been issued in accordance with the State of Emergency, which was declared following the attempted coup under the name of the fight against putschists. Recently, dozens of channels and radio stations were closed and their equipment was confiscated. As journalists of the closed media organizations, we protest the closure decision.

“We have launched a three-day sit down protest in Diyarbakır in order to defend freedom of the press and make the public sensitive against this decision. We call upon the ruling power to remove all obstacles against freedom of the press and revoke the decision and release all journalists.”

(şa-zyd/gc/gd)