September 27, 2024 - Turkiye, Diyarbakır

Police raid Kurdish organizations and cultural centers in Amed, detaining 28 people, including Rojda Yıldız, the editor of the feminist publication Jineology Magazine. The detainees were taken to the Diyarbakır Counter-Terrorism Department, where a confidentiality order was imposed, raising serious concerns about transparency.

Using counter-terrorism laws to target journalists and activists is a common tactic in Turkiye, especially against Kurdish media, which faces ongoing suppression under terrorism allegations. Women Press Freedom denounces Rojda’s detention and demands her immediate release.

These raids occurred just a week before the 2nd anniversary of the murder of Kurdish journalist and women’s rights activist Nagihan Akarsel, who was killed on October 4, 2022, in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. While her murderer, a Turkish citizen, was convicted, Turkish state officials allegedly involved in orchestrating the crime remain unpunished.

The lack of action from international human rights mechanisms and the political inaction of the international community have allowed the Turkish government to intensify its attacks on Kurdish journalists. This includes the killings of Gulistan Tara and Hero Bahadin by a Turkish drone in Iraqi Kurdistan in August. Such targeting and killings cannot continue.

Women Press Freedom calls for immediate action from Western governments, particularly the EU and USA, to address the ongoing oppression faced by the Kurdish press from Turkish authorities, both within and beyond its borders. Turkiye must not be allowed to break international law with impunity.