45 Kurdish journalist in prisons on Journalists Day of Kurdistan

2017-04-21 12:17:11

DİYARBAKIR –  119 years passed on the first Kurdish newspaper  “Kurdistan”  was published by Midhat Bedirxan when he was on the exile in Egypt.  Despite 119 years, Kurdish journalists are on the exile or jailed. 45 journalists are on prison on Journalist Day of Kurdistan.

Despite 119 years passed on the first published Kurdish newspaper “Kurdistan” by Midhat Bedixan while he was on the exile in Cairo, Kurdish journalists are still oppressed. 45 Kurdish journalist will celebrate Journalist Day of Kurdistan on April 22 in prisons. According to Free Journalists Initiative 166 journalists included 45 Kurdish journalists are imprisoned in Turkey.

Nine in 45 Kurdish journalists are journalists of closed Dicle News Agency (DİHA) by Decree during State of Emergency. There are numbers accusations but formal charge file isn’t prepared yet.


-          Abdulkadir Turay was taken into custody by state forces on May 5 of 2016 in Savur county of Mardin and jailed on charge of “Aiding” on May 9 of 2016. Despite 11 months passed, accusation file wasn’t prepared by prosecutor. Turay is kept in Mardin E Type Closed Prison.
 
-          News director of DİHA Ömer Çelik was taken into custody because of leaked e-mail of Minister Berat Albyarak on December 25 of 2016. Çelik sorely was battered during police raid and taken to İstanbul to being questioned. After 24 days of detention period, Çelik was jailed on charge of “being member of illegal organization” and accusation file wasn’t prepared since then.

-          Reporter of DİHA Abdullah Kaya was jailed  in Ağrı city on January 21 after he was taken into custody on January on charge of “being member of illegal organization”. Accusation file wasn’t prepared yet by prosecution.

-          Van reporter of DİHA İdris Sayılğan was taken into custody in Muş on October 17 of 2016 and jailed on claim of “being member of illegal organization” on 21 October 2016. Sayılğan is kept in Trabzon E Type Closed Prison and accusation wasn’t prepared since he was jailed.

-          Diyarbakır reporter of DİHA Mazlum Dolan was evacuated with civilian  on February 2016 from Sur during curfew and jailed on February 23 and sent to Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison. Dolan was reporter who released what happened in Sur during curfew. First trial of Duran was heard on December 29 of 2016 in Diyarbakır and he is charged to “ being member of illegal organization”.