Dicle News Agency (DİHA) began broadcasting on April 4, 2002 with the motto “Never make a concession from the truth”. DİHA which has contributed to opposition press with its radical democrat minds during its broadcasting life was closed by a recent Decree with the Power of Law.

DİHA was attacked and pressured by the policies of AKP Government numerous times. DİHA which has always become the voice of the unheard, was always targeted by the government. The agency was first attacked 2 years after it started to broadcast. DİHA office was raided under the pretext of NATO summit in 2004 in İstanbul. Nevertheless, the agency made no concessions and continued to convey the news from alternative ways such as internet.

Many DİHA reporters were blocked, threatened and the agency faced with efforts to deactivate by means of conspiracies. Despite these, DİHA kept going on. Police forces attacked and wounded numerous of reporters that were taken into custody, and mostly arrested.

Dicle News Agency has been the voice of massacred women such as Özgecan Aslan and the exploited and murdered workers of Soma and Ermenek.

DİHA was the first agency that announced the world the incident known as the “Shame Case” of N.Ç. – a 13-year-old who suffered from sexual abuse by 26 people including policemen, soldiers and officials.

DİHA was also the first agency to report the “Roboski Massacre” in which TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) attacked locals from Roboski Village (Şırnak) with aircraft on December 26, 2011 killing 34 people, most of whom were minors.

DİHA again was the first agency to report about 7 Kurdish children suffering from sexual abuse in Adana Pozantı Prison in 2012. After the news and following intense reaction from public, Pozantı prison was closed.

Civil executions and massacres in Cizre, Nusaybin, Sur were uncovered by DİHA in spite of wholly blind world media during the curfews. 10 year old Cemile Çağırga’s dead body was kept in a fridge for 10 days because of the curfew. A pregnant woman and mother of five, Selamet Yeşilmen, was murdered on the street and her dead body could not be taken from the street for 7 days because of the curfew.

After the ending of “Peace Talks” between PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) and Turkish Government, the government arrested 35 journalist who included many journalists for DİHA.

AKP Government and Erdoğan started to attack free press again starting from July 2015. DİHA was one of the first targets. The agency was blocked 48 times without any reason since July 2015.

Still many DİHA journalists are in prison and DİHA was closed by a recent Decree with the Power of Law.

Dicle News Agency pledged in a statement that they will not remain silent as they did before, and that they will resist against detainment, blockages and attacks

“We will keep “freedom of information” for public over everything. We will share all truth we reach with the people in every way and every method possible”, the agency said.