The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, expressed her concerns today over the latest physical attacks against journalists in Turkey.
According to reports, on 22 June, Mustafa Uslu, a reporter for the İhlas News Agency (İHA), was beaten by four individuals, among whom was the nephew of a local politician, while preparing his equipment for an assignment in Kocaeli province. Uslu was immediately taken to the hospital with visible cuts and bruises. Police have reportedly detained a suspect pending an investigation, and provisionally released the remaining three suspects under judicial control.
On 21 June, three employees of a construction company assaulted İbrahim Akkuş, a journalist with the daily Yeniçağ Newspaper, Akkus was visiting a district municipality to follow-up on his earlier reporting concerning alleged irregularities of a recently constructed public hospital in Samsun province. Akkuş reportedly filed a criminal complaint to the police. Authorities identified and questioned the suspects and subsequently released them pending an investigation. According to media reports, Akkuş was previously threatened as a result of his reporting on the related issue.
Ribeiro also recalled the previous physical attacks against journalists Ahmet Atmaca from Demirören News Agency (DHA) and Hanifi Güzel from İHA, in the province of Gaziantep, that occurred earlier this month. Police have reportedly identified four suspects in connection with the attack on Atmaca, who were then released following questioning and pending judicial proceedings.
“The safety of journalists is an indispensable prerequisite for media freedom. This means that journalists must be able to perform their journalistic activities without being intimidated, threatened or attacked. I hope that the relevant authorities will investigate the cases thoroughly and swiftly bring all perpetrators to justice,” said Ribeiro.
Ribeiro reiterated that the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Safety of Journalists calls on participating States to “take effective measures to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists, by ensuring accountability as a key element in preventing future attacks, including by ensuring that law enforcement agencies carry out swift, effective and impartial investigations into acts of violence and threats against journalists, in order to bring all those responsible to justice, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies.”
