DENİZ TEKİN
At least six journalists, including Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association (MKG) President Roza Metina (Sultan Mercan), were detained in coordinated raids across Istanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakır, and Batman early this morning. The raids were carried out as part of an investigation led by the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Widespread detentions and secrecy surrounding charges
The raids targeted several homes in multiple cities, leading to the detention of:
- Roza Metina (Sultan Mercan): President of the Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association, detained in Diyarbakır.
- Ahmet Sümbül: Journalist, also detained in Diyarbakır.
- Ardin Diren: Filmmaker, detained in Diyarbakır.
- Mehmet Uçar: Journalist, detained in Batman.
- Bilal Seçkin: Detained in Ankara.
- Bilge Aksu and Erdoğan Alayumat: Both detained in Istanbul.
An additional raid was conducted at journalist Gülcan Dereli’s residence in Istanbul, but she was not taken into custody as she was not at home at the time.
The detained journalists were taken to police headquarters in their respective cities. Authorities have issued a confidentiality order on the investigation, leaving the charges and reasons for the arrests undisclosed to both journalists and their legal representatives.
It remains unclear whether the detained individuals will be transferred to Eskişehir, where the investigation is centered. Lawyers representing the journalists have announced plans to appeal the confidentiality order.
Broader crackdown
Separate from this operation, another series of raids linked to an Ankara-based investigation targeted union members, human rights activists, and politicians across multiple provinces, resulting in additional detentions.
Press freedom concerns
The detentions add to growing concerns about press freedom in Turkey, where journalists and media organizations critical of the government frequently face legal pressures, detentions, and trials under broad anti-terrorism laws. Rights groups continue to call for transparency and an end to the targeting of journalists for their work.
