On 6 May 2024, early morning police raids in Diyarbakır, Türkiye / Turkey led to the detention of eight individuals, including journalists NurcanYalçın and Derya Us. The operation was part of an investigation initiated by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s office, targeting alleged terrorism-related activities.
The detainees were taken to the Diyarbakır Courthouse on 14 May 2024, where the Criminal Court of Peace released them under judicial control. These restrictions include travel bans and mandatory weekly check-ins at local police stations. The arrests of Yalçın and Us are linked to accusations of being members of an organization and violating anti-terrorism financing laws.
Among those detained was Dilan PolatDirin, who has an 11-month-old baby. She was taken into custody in Lice, Türkiye / Turkey and released under similar judicial controls.
These recent detentions are part of a broader pattern of legal actions against Kurdish journalists and media workers in Türkiye / Turkey. Women Press Freedom (https://www.womeninjournalism.org/) reports that this incident marks the third wave of such detentions in 2024. In April, nine journalists from Kurdish media organizations were detained across Istanbul, Ankara, and Urfa.
Journalist NurcanYalçın has faced repeated legal harassment over her work. She was previously detained in 2022 and accused of aiding a terrorist organization. These accusations often stem from her reporting on Kurdish issues. Similarly, Derya Us was detained under accusations of supporting terrorism through financial transactions.
Despite the severe restrictions imposed on Yalçın and Us, and the ongoing pressure on Kurdish media, these journalists continue to work under challenging conditions to inform the public about critical issues affecting their communities. Rights groups urge the Turkish authorities to cease their persecution of journalists and ensure that press freedom is respected.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns the recent detentions of journalists NurcanYalçın and Derya Us. The judicial controls and restrictions imposed on these journalists, including travel bans and mandatory weekly check-ins, are part of a broader, troubling pattern of legal harassment against Kurdish media workers in Türkiye / Turkey. SEEMO denounces these actions as clear attempts to stifle press freedom and silence critical voices reporting on Kurdish issues. We call upon the Turkish authorities to immediately cease their persecution of journalists, lift the unjust restrictions on Yalçın and Us, and uphold the principles of free and independent journalism.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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