Journalist Erdoğan Alayumat, arrested on April 27 along with two other journalists, has declared that they will never give up journalism despite their detention, which he views as a sign that the rule of law has ceased to exist in the country.
During a recent meeting at Silivri Prison with his lawyer, Emine Özhasar from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Legal Unit, Alayumat detailed the harsh conditions faced immediately following their arrest. He described being held in solitary confinement without water for two days at Metris Prison and then again for one day after being transferred to Silivri Prison on April 30.
Özhasar reported that Alayumat is now settled in a communal cell and is in good condition. She relayed Alayumat's message:
"In this process, journalists were detained in unjust operations, and we were imprisoned. Those in power who imprison journalists claim at every opportunity that they govern a state of law, but our imprisonment shows just how absent the law is in our country. We will continue to practice journalism, both inside and outside. I send my greetings to everyone who shows solidarity."
Background of the arrest
As part of an operation centered in Istanbul, journalists Mehmet Aslan, Esra Solin Dal, and Erdoğan Alayumat were detained during house raids on April 23. They were subsequently arrested on April 27 by a criminal judgeship of peace on charges of "membership in an organization."
