Evrim Deniz, a journalist for Bianet, has been subjected to gender-based and racist attacks on social media after sharing a photo from the March 8 International Women’s Day rally in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. The harassment escalated into death threats, with some social media users publicly sharing her identity and workplace details.
Deniz had posted a picture featuring a pro-LGBTQ+ sign carried during the demonstration, which led to a wave of hate speech and threats. Several accounts accused her of promoting an agenda and spread defamatory messages against her.
Hate speech from another journalist
Among those targeting Deniz was Arif Zêrevan, a journalist based in Diyarbakır. Zêrevan shared an old post by Deniz about the murdered Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, accusing her of being Armenian and claiming she was attacking Kurdish society and family values. He also criticized her for working at Bianet, making various allegations against her.
Deniz announced that she would file a criminal complaint on Monday against Zêrevan and others responsible for the threats and defamatory remarks.
Formerly imprisoned professor joins smear campaign
Deniz was also targeted by Professor Cenap Ekinci, who had previously been jailed for 35 days on charges of “terrorist propaganda” over his posts about Syria. Ekinci, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), shared Deniz’s name and workplace alongside her photo from the rally, writing in Kurdish: “Who gave you that banner, my sister?”—a message that fueled the online attacks against her.
Journalist association condemns threats
The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) issued a statement denouncing the harassment, emphasizing that Deniz was simply doing her job as a journalist.
“Evrim Deniz was documenting the atmosphere of the rally and the messages of its participants. Targeting a journalist, issuing death threats, and exposing personal information is unacceptable. We condemn this smear campaign against our colleague and will ensure that legal action is taken,” the statement read.
