ANKARA - Journalists in Britain have demanded the immediate release of Jin News editor Ayşe Güney who was detained in police raids in Diyarbakır in Turkey in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Journalists for Democracy in Turkey and Kurdistan have declared a written statement regarding the detention of Ayşe Güney, the editor of Jin News. In the statement it was noted that, "Her detention exposes a worrying clampdown on democracy by an increasingly authoritarian state, which is escalating attacks particularly targeting Kurdish women. Journalists for Democracy in Turkey and Kurdistan, which was launched on World Press Freedom Day last year, demands the immediate and unconditional release of Ayşe Güney and all political prisoners held in Erdoğan’s dungeons."
Journalism is not a crime and we stand by our sisters and brothers in Turkey as they risk their lives and liberty to simply report the news.
Today, we have written to the British government demanding an urgent review of Britain’s relationship with Turkey and the suspension of trade and arms sales until such a time that democracy is restored and all political prisoners are released."
SWEENEY: ERDOĞAN TERRIFIED OF FREE WOMEN
Journalist Steve Sweeney, the spokesperson of the platform shared the following solidarity message: “The detention of Ayse Guney today is just another of the crimes against democracy committed by the Turkish state. Women are the forefront of the resistance against the government’s brutal persecution, which has seen Kurds targeted not just in Turkey but also in Syria with the targeted drone strike killing three women. In Austria the dark hand of the Turkish state is suspected to be behind a violent attack against Kurdish women protesting against femicide. The recent torture and detention of prominent women’s activist Rojbin Cetin, who was mauled by dogs in a three and a half hour ordeal, exposed the Turkish state’s deep hatred of women and an attempt to silence their voices. This is not a show of strength, but a sign of weakness with President Erdogan terrified of free women. Today we have written to the British government urging a review of relations with Turkey and an end to trade and arms sales until democracy is restored and all political prisoners are released from Erdogan’s dungeons. Free Ayse Guney. Journalism is not a crime.”
RIELLY: I CONDEMN THESE ATTACKS ON MY JOURNALIST SISTERS
Morning Star reporter Bethany Rielly also shared the following solidarity message: “This morning Ayşe, a prominent Kurdish journalist and women’s rights advocate was detained in Turkey.As a fellow journalist I want to openly denounce the persecution that Ayse and thousands of other reporters suffer in Turkey for exposing the hidden, overlooked and brutal reality faced by Kurdish people at the hands of the regime. I condemn these appalling attacks on my journalist sisters overseas and demand their release immediately.”