Journalists gathered outside Turkey’s Justice Ministry in Ankara to protest the arrest of Derya Okatan, a journalist and member of the disciplinary board of DİSK Basın-İş, a journalists’ union affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), after she was jailed without first being questioned by a prosecutor. In a statement, DİSK Basın-İş said, “Pretrial detention must not be turned into a form of punishment. Release Derya Okatan.”
Etki Can Bolatcan
DİSK Basın-İş, a journalists’ union affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), held a press conference outside the Justice Ministry in Ankara after journalist and union disciplinary board member Derya Okatan was referred to court for pretrial detention and subsequently jailed without first being questioned by a prosecutor.
Reading the statement on behalf of the union, disciplinary board member Diren Yurtsever said, “Journalist Derya Okatan has repeatedly faced investigations, been taken into custody and had her digital devices confiscated because of her journalistic activities. She has now been jailed on the basis of documents said to date back several years.”
The statement noted that the digital materials cited as grounds for Okatan’s arrest had already been examined in 2019 as part of a separate investigation. Okatan said she had not used the materials since then, while the files at the center of the allegations showed last modification and access dates in 2010. The union also said Okatan had seen the documents in question for the first time while giving her statement.
The union stressed that digital materials whose authenticity and reliability remain in question cannot serve as grounds for depriving a journalist of her liberty.
“The prosecutor’s decision to seek the journalist’s pretrial detention without first questioning her, and the court’s decision to grant that request without adequately examining fundamental questions or assessing whether detention was proportionate, raise serious concerns about legal safeguards,” the statement said.
“Pretrial detention must not be turned into a form of punishment or a tool to silence journalists.”
“We must not remain silent in the face of pressure on journalists”
Diren Yurtsever criticized the criminalization of journalism, saying, “Journalism is not an activity that must be carried out within boundaries set by those in power. The use of investigations, detentions and arrests to pressure journalists reflects an approach aimed at silencing not only journalists but society as a whole. Derya Okatan’s arrest cannot be viewed separately from the broader policies of repression targeting the journalism profession.”
The statement concluded with a call for Okatan’s release and solidarity among journalists and civil society organizations.
“Remaining silent in the face of pressure on journalists does not simply mean standing by as a colleague is deprived of her freedom. It also means becoming complicit in the erosion of journalism and the public’s right to information. We therefore call on all journalists’ organizations, professional press associations, unions, civil society groups and everyone who supports a free press to strengthen their solidarity with Derya Okatan. Every attack on a journalist’s freedom is an attack on the public’s right to know the truth.”
Mesut Balcan, president of Haber-Sen, a union representing communications and media workers affiliated with the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK), also spoke at the gathering.
“There are some questions that need to be put to those in power. If they think they can solve problems by arresting journalists who do not share their views, they are mistaken,” Balcan said.
“When we look at the shutdown of social media accounts, we can see an attack on everyone in society who does not think like those in power. We stand with DİSK Basın-İş in its struggle.”
Derya Okatan: “If journalists resist together, journalism will prevail”
Following the statement, a letter from jailed journalist Derya Okatan was read aloud.
In her message from Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison in Istanbul, Okatan said, “My arrest is not simply about me as an individual. It is an attack on the journalism profession. On the one hand, journalists are being arrested. On the other, independent news websites such as T24 are being shut down, and newspapers’ social media accounts are being blocked. Press freedom is being trampled on, and the public’s right to information is being obstructed.”
Okatan said journalists had a responsibility to engage in organized resistance in the face of what she described as severe attacks on the press.
She concluded her letter by saying, “I believe that if all my colleagues who are resisting to defend the dignity of their profession carry on this struggle together, journalism and press freedom will prevail.”
