Journalists covering the second round of the presidential election on 28 May have reported encountering obstacles and being stopped from filming while covering the elections.
According to reports shared on social media, four journalists were physically or verbally assaulted, preventing them from filming while covering the elections.
Another journalist was expelled from an area in Ankara where overseas votes were being counted. A journalist covering the post-election reactions was taken into custody.
KRT TV correspondent Sultan Eylem Keleş, who was following the election process, reported being prevented from reporting at a polling station in a school by the school's representative, who is an AKP member of the Kadıköy Municipality Council, while filming in Kadıköy.
Keleş testified to the police and made an official record about the incident.
Furthermore, Dokuz8 Haber reporter Fatoş Erdoğan was physically assaulted by the school official at Ahmet Çuhadaroğlu Middle School in Istanbul Hürriyet District while covering the elections. In the attack, Erdoğan was injured in her hand.
In another incident, Mezopotamya Agency journalist Ömer Akın was attacked by a group in the Yeniköy neighborhood of Şanlıurfa's Haliliye district. The journalist's camera was destroyed during the incident.
JinNews Turkish correspondent Öznur Değer, who was filming in a school in Mardin, was reportedly obstructed by the bodyguard and advisor of AKP Deputy Faruk Kılıç. Değer reported that her phone was seized when she went to the police station to file a complaint.
In the evening hours of election day, footage was broadcast showing journalist Cengiz Anıl Bölükbaş being expelled from the area in Ankara where overseas votes were being counted, despite him stating he was a member of the press.
Finally, journalist Vedat Aker, who was filming to report on individuals detained during election celebrations in Batman, was reportedly taken into custody.
Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği (MLSA) haber alma hakkı, ifade özgürlüğü ve basın özgürlüğü alanlarında faaliyet yürüten bir sivil toplum kuruluşudur. Derneğimiz başta gazeteciler olmak üzere mesleki faaliyetleri sebebiyle yargılanan kişilere hukuki destek vermektedir.
JinNews Turkish correspondent Öznur Değer, who was filming in a school in Mardin, was reportedly obstructed by the bodyguard and advisor of AKP Deputy Faruk Kılıç. Değer reported that her phone was seized when she went to the police station to file a complaint.
In the evening hours of election day, footage was broadcast showing journalist Cengiz Anıl Bölükbaş being expelled from the area in Ankara where overseas votes were being counted, despite him stating he was a member of the press.
Finally, journalist Vedat Aker, who was filming to report on individuals detained during election celebrations in Batman, was reportedly taken into custody.
