On 8 June, the Turkish police detained 22 journalists in Amed (Diyarbakir), North Kurdistan. The journalists were referred to court on June 15 after 8 days of detention, and 16 of them were remanded in custody.

Journalists in Sulaymaniyah, South Kurdistan spoke to Rojnews media outlet about the arrest and crackdown of journalists in North Kurdistan.

“Turkey has turned into a huge prison for journalists. Most of the newspapers and media outlets are controlled by the government. They arrest all journalists who do not do journalism on behalf of the government,” journalist and environmental activist Xalid Silêman said.

Defining Turkey as “a dark prison for journalists”, Silêman continued, “The treatment of journalists in Turkey does not comply with any universal democratic standards. The arrest of the Kurdish journalists shows that Erdogan wants to introduce a dictatorial rule in the country. That's why they want to silence journalists.”

Nehro Salih condemned the arrest of the Kurdish journalists and expressed his hope that institutions which promote journalists’ rights will not remain silent towards the Turkish government crackdown on members of the press.

“The journalists arrested in Turkey represent the free voice of citizens who want their voices to be heard in Turkey and North Kurdistan. There is a major attack on our achievements in North Kurdistan. We condemn these attacks against journalists,” Salih added.