Journalist Ömer Akın gave a statement to the police on July 25 after being investigated for sharing footage of soldiers transported to the Şırnak region during local elections. Akın, who works for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), stated that investigations will not change the truth and affirmed his commitment to reporting.
By Aziz Oruç
Ömer Akın, a reporter for Mezopotamya Agency, was questioned by the police at Cizre District Police Department for sharing footage of soldiers being transported to Şırnak during the March 31 local elections. The investigation was initiated by the Istanbul Bakırköy Press Crimes Branch.
During the questioning, Akın was not informed of the specific accusations against him but was asked about the video he shared on social media, which showed soldiers being transported to vote.
After giving his statement, Akın spoke to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), describing the situation as an abuse of power. “There are no adequate terms to describe the current situation. Terms like unlawful, illegal, or unethical fall short,” Akın said. “First, they commit crimes, then they attack those who witness, talk about, or mention their crimes to silence them. During the March 31, 2024 local elections, we witnessed the state disregarding the will of the people in Şırnak and using state institutions to eliminate those who do not think like them under a legal facade.”
Akın described the incident where 6,000 voters at Tümgeneral Ömer Keçeciğil Primary and Secondary School were brought in from western provinces by buses. "No civilians, except for the polling station officials, voted at this school. None of the transported individuals were stationed in Şırnak, as the local security personnel voted elsewhere with the local population. The election results from this school determined the city's future for the next five years. It was a massive usurpation of will, a theft disguised as legal.”
Akın emphasized his role as a journalist covering the election events in Şırnak. “I was a journalist trying to report what happened that day in Şırnak. We took numerous videos and photos to show what was happening. It must have bothered someone because they launched this investigation five months later. Many citizens have been investigated for violating election laws, and it seems they saved the journalists for last. They want revenge. The whole world saw what happened in Şırnak that day, and now they seek revenge. Today, they open an investigation over a video; tomorrow, they will find another excuse. Their aim is to quietly eliminate those who expose their actions.”
Akın criticized the different application of the law in various regions. “The investigation was initiated by the Istanbul Bakırköy Press Crimes Branch and directed to the Cizre District Police Department. Even the officers at the station laughed at the absurdity because they know what’s going on here. They are trying to enforce the law from a distance. We have said for years that the law is different in the west and in Kurdistan. Yes, the state is different here than in the west. The subject of the investigation from Istanbul reflects our region’s reality.”
Akın concluded by stressing that investigations will not change the truth. “Investigations do not change the truth. I wish they put the same effort into objectively enforcing laws as they do into prosecuting citizens. Their unlawful actions wrapped in legal justifications do not change with denial. As journalists committed to the truth, we will continue to write the truth at all costs.”
