The repression against the free press in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan is not abating. In Ankara, police attacked a rally of the Dicle Firat Journalists' Association (DFG) and the Mesopotamian Women Journalists' Platform (MKGP) on Tuesday. The police surrounded the rally area and detained journalists Deniz Nazlım from the Mezopotamya news agency and Sibel Yükler, beating them. The journalists had gathered in Ankara to protest against the detention of 16 journalists in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır).

Due to the massive police deployment, the journalists changed the location of their rally to the representation of the DISK trade union alliance in Ankara.

At least 76 journalists jailed

On 8 June 2022, the Turkish police carried out a large-scale arrest operation against Kurdish journalists in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır). Twenty-two people, 20 of them journalists, were detained and held in custody for eight days. 16 of those detained were remanded in custody. Currently, at least 76 journalists are behind bars for their work in Turkey.