MLSA - Police raided the home of Etkin News Agency (ETHA) employees early on March 9, at about 6:30 a.m. Reports indicate that the officers initially withheld an arrest or search warrant during the raid. They were apparently searching for Hivda Selen, who, it turned out, had never lived at the address. Despite no specific decision regarding the others present in the home, police reportedly did not allow them to dress.
This incident marks the second raid on the same residence within 10 days, the previous one occurring on February 27. ETHA, in a released statement, expressed concern, stating, "Raiding our house every 10 days seems to be an attempt to create anxiety among our neighbors and in our community."
In their statement, ETHA also commented on the broader implications of these raids, emphasizing, “We know what you are trying to do. You cannot silence socialists or the socialist press. Your oppression, police terror, and false propaganda have been ineffective until now and will continue to be so.”
The rest of ETHA's statement elaborates on the details of the raid and their stance against these actions, maintaining their commitment to continue their work in socialist journalism despite facing ongoing police pressure and intimidation.
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Full statement by ETHA: Police terror against ETHA continues This morning around 06:30, the door of the house where we, the employees of ETHA, live was broken into by police using a drill and a battering ram. Our house had already been raided 10 days ago, on February 27. Moreover, during today’s police raid, we learned that they were looking for someone who not only does not live in our house but has never even been to our house. Armed and shielded special forces police officers, along with TEM Branch police, entered our house. They did not show the search warrant in a legal manner for a long time. They did not provide information about who the arrest warrant was for. They treated the agency employees found in the house as if there were arrest warrants for them. They were not allowed to put on their clothes. After our insistent demands, they informed us that they came to our house to detain Hivda Selen, a member of the SGDF Central Executive Committee. However, they resisted showing the search warrant. Our house was searched in a completely illegal and arbitrary manner. We know Hivda Selen. She is a member of the SGDF Central Executive Committee. We have interviewed her many times. But both the police and the prosecutor know very well that Hivda Selen does not live in our house. It seems that raiding our house every 10 days is aimed at creating anxiety in our neighborhood and among our neighbors. We know what you are trying to do. You cannot silence socialists or the socialist press. Your oppressions, police terror, and false propaganda have not worked until now and will not work in the future. Etkin News Agency (ETHA) has been continuing its socialist broadcasting for years. It will continue to do so in the future. Your oppressions, house raids, and detention terror cannot intimidate us. |
