Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) made a statement on the detention of journalists Nurcan Yalçın and Derya Us during house raids in Amed (Diyarbakır) earlier today.

“Although the reason for the detention was not disclosed by the police, we know that it is one of the operations carried out to criminalise our profession. The AKP-MHP government, which has increased the pressure on the press in recent years, is increasing the judicial harassment against Kurdish journalists in particular day by day,” said the DFG statement on Monday.

The statement recalled that Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporters Esra Solin Dal and Mehmet Aslan and journalist Erdoğan Alayumat were also imprisoned recently within the scope of the investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and said: “Esra Solin Dal was subjected to strip search and is still being held in solitary confinement. Approximately 40 Free Press workers were arrested in separate operations in the last two years. With today’s operation, which is a continuation of these operations aimed at silencing Kurdish journalists, they are trying to prevent us from practising our profession. Kurdish journalists, who never give up writing the truth despite all the pressures, will continue to resist this. We will continue our struggle for the truth to reach the people and for our colleagues to be released. We call on all professional organisations and colleagues to stand in solidarity to protect journalism. Journalism is not a crime. Release the journalists.”

Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) said, “As war, poverty, crisis and lawlessness deepen, journalists who reflect the truth and make the voice of the people heard are wanted to be silenced. We emphasise once again that we consider the detention of our journalist friends as an obstruction against the truth.”

Stressing that women journalists would not give up delivering the truth to the public, the statement said, “We do not back down in the face of pressure and detentions. We call for the immediate release of Esra Solin Dal, who was arrested last week and subjected to strip search, and Nurcan Yalçın and Derya Us, who were detained today, and we shout out once again; journalism is not a crime.”