VAN – Our reporter Dindar Karataş who was arrested because of his journalistic activities said, "We defended the work we have done that got us arrested, and we'll continue to do so", in a letter he sent from prison.
Mesopotamia Agency reporter Dindar Karataş, who was detained in a house raid in Van within the scope of the investigation initiated by the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was arrested on 26 November by the court and sent to Erzurum Type H Closed Prison with the charge of 'being a member of a terrorist organization'.
Being behind bars for 15 days, Karataş sent a letter from solitary confinement he is held due to coronavirus measures. Karataş responded to the accusations made against him with his letter.
TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE STARTED RIGHT AFTER THE TORTURE IN TUTAK
Karataş, who informed that he was under technical surveillence until the day he was detained after the news he made about the torture of the villagers on December 6, 2019 in the Tutak district of Ağrı, said, "Among the thousands of news I have made in a year, they only chose the news of torture, isolation, national unity and sick prisoners living in prisons and they included two articles from the ANF news website which did not belong to me. The phone calls I made with my news sources and news managers were also included in the investigation file. There also were some letters sent by my imprisoned journalist friends in my file. They accused me of being a member of a terrorist organization and arrested me using these as evidence."
Karataş continued, "Like journalists Adnan Bilen, Nazan Sala, Cemil Uğur and Şehriban Abi, I too was the voice of those subjected to violations of rights, women who died under suspicous circumstances, citizens who were killed doing border trade, refugees who froze to death or got drowned in Van Lake or female refugees who were raped in removal centers.
'WE TOLD THE TRUTH'
We were the only agency who dared to break the stroy about Osman Şiban and Servet Turgut, two villagers tortured by soldiers and thrown from a military helicopter. We proved it with documents. We have told the truth and shared it with the public.
Our friends continue to do their jobs after we were arrested. We have been paying all kinds of prices for doing our jobs for years. We are the followers of the tradition of Apé Musa. We are journalists and we have defended the work we have done and we will continue to do so. What we do is hard but we get our strength from the truth. Because of this, no matter who is behind bars, the rest of us will continue to do their jobs.
It is tragic that President Erdoğan who critisizes France about press freedom ignoring the pressure on the press in Turkey. It is clear that the government that speaks about judicial reform is actually creating a social perception. The fact that the police who killed Kemal Kurkut in broad day light was acquitted while the journalist who photographed the murder is on trial with a request of arrest is a proof of the corruption starts at the top.
The journalists behind bars, and myself, will be acquitted from these charges. Those who arrest us will take their place in the dark pages of the history. I am calling on to everyone to be in solidarity with journalists. I will continue to defend journalism, the work I have done, my agency and myself."