Charges filed for sexist newspaper headline
NEWS CENTER (DİHA) – After the major Turkish newspaper Star published a story on woman politician Figen Yüksekdağ with the headline “shut this hussy up,” her party has filed charges against the newspaper.
Yesterday, the newspaper Star—known for its owner’s professed “love” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—ran with a front page story covering the left party HDP’s co-leader Figen Yüksekdağ’s trip to the Syrian-Turkish border across from Kobanê. There, Figen had made a speech denouncing the President’s call for Turkish military intervention in Syria and the ruling AKP government’s ongoing support for Daesh.
“Shut this hussy up” was the headline of the article, which referred to Figen as the “other wife” of her party co-leader (positions in the HDP are shared by a man and a woman). The HDP has filled charges against the newspaper’s owner, Murat Sancak, and its editor in chief, Özkan Demir. The charges say that the newspaper article was an attack on Figen based on her gender. The charges also allege that the newspaper article put Figen’s safety in danger by threatening and encouraging violence against her.
The Journalists Union of Turkey called on Star to issue an apology, saying that “anything that happens to Figen Yüksekdağ now is Star’s responsibility.” There will be march in support of Figen today at Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square.
(cm/nt)
