DİHA - Dicle News Agency

AMED (DİHA) - Association of Free Journalists (ÖGC) has made “Free Media Report” public on the occasion of Kurdish Journalists Day. Hakkı Boltan, co-chair of ÖGC said that free media members will keep on seeking truth against constraint, intimidation, detentions and massacres. With reference to the day also “Azadiya Welat for every household” campaign has been started.

Association of Free Journalists (ÖGC) has made a statement in Amed (Diyarbakır) and has sent cards to arrested journalists due to April 22 Kurdish Journalists Day. During the statement, in front of Human Rights Statue, Koşuyolu Park, journalists held Azadiya Welat newspaper with the headline “118 salên serfirazî û berxwedanê”.

ÖGC co-chair Hakkı Boltan who stated that for 118 years still journalists are not free while making news, said that the basic aim of ongoing constraints and attacks from that day to this, is to wipe journalism out. Expressing that they will be followers of Apê Musa, Gurbetelli Ersöz, Uğur Mumcu, Metin Göktepe’s struggles, Boltan emphasized that even if there is constraint, intimidation, detentions and massacres free media members will keep on seeking the truth.

After Boltan’s speech, 30 paged “Free Media Report” related to right abuses against journalists in the first 3 months of the year has been announced. According to the report in last 3 months, 4 journalists were murdered, 70 detained, 14 arrested, 3 tortured and exposed to maltreating, 9 threatened, 12 arbitrary restrained, 7 fired. 2 media organs were constrainted, 8 attacked, number of launched investigations 136, banned news site 10, banned TV-radio 5, broadcast ban 4.

Metin Göktepe Award to Aktaş!

After the statement, News Watch Coordination member Fehim Işık gave the award which he had received in behalf of News Watch in Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards, to Çetin Altun in behalf of Azadiya Welat Newspaper editor in chief Rohat Aktaş who was killed in “basement of horror” in Cizre.

(ök)