site.btaProtest Held in Turkiye over Arrests of Journalists on Suspicion of Membership of Terrorist Organization

A protest against the arrest of journalists took place on Wednesday in Diyarbakir, Southeastern Turkiye, as reported by the Turkish opposition news outlet Bianet.

The demonstration in the predominantly Kurdish-populated city was organized by several local journalists' associations, as well as the Journalists' Union of Turkiye and the journalism section of one of the country's leading trade unions, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK-Basın-İş).

The protest followed the arrest of several journalists and poets as part of an anti-terrorism operation launched this week. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that a total of 231 people were detained in the operation, which targeted Kurdish groups across 30 districts in Turkiye.

Many journalists and writers from the region attended the demonstration in Diyarbakir. The protesters carried a banner reading: "Free press cannot be silenced."

Hakki Bolat, a representative of DISK, stated that the arrests were an "attempt to intimidate journalists." He argued that the reports of his colleagues had been wrongly interpreted as crimes. Bolat called for the immediate release of the journalists.