Vienna, 14/08/2015
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned about incidents that occurred in Turkey on 12 August.
Members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) allegedly initiated a terrorist attack in Turkey’s Nusaybin district, during which one police officer was injured and one PKK member killed. Journalists trying to cover the event in front of the hospital were allegedly assaulted by members of the special Turkish operations police. Local footage shows that after trying to take a picture of the injured policeman, special operations officers began shouting at the journalists, calling them militants. The officers opened fire, wounding one journalist and another two people.
SEEMO is concerned for the safety of media workers in Turkey. “It is incomprehensible that members of a state institution can show such disregard in their behaviour and treatment of journalist”, SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic stated.
SEEMO urges the authorities in Ankara to immediately investigate the case and punish the attackers.
The press freedom work of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.