Turkey sees 158 percent rise in police violence towards women journalists

Duvar English

Violence against women journalists in Turkey has sharply increased by 158.82 percent this year, in comparison to the cases recorded last year, the Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) said on July 28.

“We demand an end to the systematic police violence that deliberately targets journalists in Turkey. In a country that claims to respect and protect democracy and the free press, journalists must be able to do their job without feeling threatened,” it said.

Since the beginning of 2021, the CFWIJ recorded at least 44 women journalists subjected to police violence in Turkey.

“Three women journalists' had their houses raided and were detained for their journalistic activities. At least 13 female reporters were detained while following events in the field. Many of them were exposed to verbal harassment by the police at the same time as those cases,” it said.

“Women journalists no longer feel safe in the field, the places they work, or their homes. Being beaten by the police, unwarranted raids, verbal and physical harassment, the possibility of damaged equipment, and widespread detentions make it exceedingly difficult for journalists to do their job.”

In an attempt to raise awareness about this issue, the CFWIJ launched an online campaign and urged everyone to sign the petition.

“While we demand women journalists be free and safe, we would like to invite everyone to support women journalists and sign the petition to create social awareness with the hashtag #WeAreNotSafe,” it said.