Announcing the ‘September Report on Violations of Rights against Journalists’, Dicle Fırat Journalists' Association (DFG) drew attention to the fact that pressures against the press increased at a time when war policies were escalated, poverty and special war policies were deepened.

“Journalists were taken under judicial clamp on the grounds of ‘why did you report news’ and faced police and military obstacles in the field many times,” the report said.

The report referred to the practices against JINNEWS reporter Rabia Önver, who was targeted for her report on prostitution and drugs in Hakkari and whose house was raided, and emphasised that ‘September was the most obvious example of the repression against journalists’.

The report noted that the repression against Rabia Önver was ‘the most concrete example of the arbitrariness of the judiciary and how it has been turned into a cudgel against journalists’.

Emphasising that censorship and access bans continue in addition to the pressures against journalists, DFG said, “The bans have turned into a means of protecting AKP members. On the grounds of violation of personal rights, 645 news articles and virtual media posts about Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun were blocked from access by the decision of Istanbul 3rd Criminal Judicature of Peace dated 12 September 2024 and numbered 2024/8772.”

The report pointed out that: “We emphasise once again against all this pressure, obstruction and censorship; the duty of a journalist is to report the news. Journalists are the mirror of society. It is also the duty of the judiciary to investigate the facts in the news. The judiciary investigates the journalists' allegations and takes administrative action against those who commit offences. However, this situation has turned into the opposite during the AKP era. The judiciary targets journalists who report news, disregarding freedom of the press.”

Stressing that they will continue to write the truth while the pressure and censorship of the government and the judiciary against journalists increases, DFG said, “Our determination to reveal the truth does not decrease in the face of these pressures, on the contrary, it increases. Just like the determination of the murdered Free Press employees, just like the determination of the first female editor-in-chief Gurbetelli Ersöz and Nagihan Akarsel. On this occasion, we honour Akarsel and Ersöz on the anniversary of their deaths.”

According to the report, 2 journalists and 1 media organ were attacked, 2 journalists' houses were raided, 5 journalists were detained, 2 journalists were imprisoned, 4 journalists were threatened and 9 journalists were prevented. In addition, 4 journalists faced investigations and 6 journalists faced lawsuits.

The report stated that 5 websites were shut down, access bans were imposed on 699 news articles and 409 virtual media accounts.

The report said that the number of imprisoned journalists was 37 as of 2 October.