Journalists Association: Threats Against Journalists Continued On The First Working Day Of The Year

In a written statement, KTGB said, “Threats and attempts to obstruct journalists, whose sole purpose is to inform the public through their reporting, continued on the first working day of the new year.”

According to the statement, following a hearing held today at the Kyrenia District Court, Ömer Kadiroğlu of Diyalog newspaper, Devrim Demir of Ahbap newspaper and Ahmet Karagözlü of Genç TV were prevented from recording images and were threatened by a relative of the defendant. It was reported that the journalists were harassed with threatening remarks such as, “Just wait, you’ll see,” after which all three filed complaints at the Kyrenia Police Directorate.

KTGB recalled that similar incidents had occurred last year and that calls had been made for the police to act with greater sensitivity on the matter. The continuation of such threats was described as “highly concerning” and as an indication of how seriously press freedom is under threat.

“Threatening and obstructing members of the press while they are carrying out their duties constitutes a direct attack on freedom of expression, the public’s right to information and press freedom,” the statement said.

Emphasising that journalists are not the voice of any side but carry the responsibility of serving the public, KTGB underlined that attempts to silence this responsibility through threats and pressure are “absolutely unacceptable.”