Journalist Selahattin Kaygusuz was detained during the house raids in Batman (Elih) on 20 October and taken to Amed. The detention was conducted in line with the incriminating statements made by the key witness, Ümit Akbıyık.

After four days in police custody, Kaygusuz was referred to court and gave his statement to the judge on Tuesday. The journalist was remanded in custody for alleged “membership in a terrorist organization”, meaning the PKK.

According to the Dicle Firat Journalists’ Association (DFG) "September report on attacks against journalists", the number of journalists imprisoned in Turkey rose to 63 last month. The association said that the attacks against media workers remain widespread and show no signs of abating.

Repression against journalists

State repression, accusations of alleged support for terrorism or insulting the president, hindrances to research and threats on the street: all of this is part of everyday life for free press journalists in Turkey. Anyone reporting from the Kurdish regions of the country is under special observation by the authorities and the judiciary. According to the Dicle Firat Journalists’ Association (DFG) "September report on attacks against journalists", the number of journalists imprisoned in Turkey rose to 63 last month. This means that Turkey remains one of the largest prisons for media professionals in the world.