News Center- The protests that sparked across Türkiye following the detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 12 continue. Since Wednesday, many protesters have been detained.

Turkish police conducted dawn house raids in Istanbul and Izmir on Monday, detaining many people including nine journalists and photojournalists. The names of the detained journalists are: Photojournalists Bülent Kılıç, Zeynep Kuray, Hayri Tunç, Murat Kocabaş, AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgül, Now Haber reporter Ali Onur Tosun, Birgün newspaper columnist Barış İnce, Sendika.org reporter Zişan Gür and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s photojournalist Kurtuluş Ar.

Calls for immediate release of journalists

Journalists’ organizations in Türkiye have released statements on social media platforms, demanding the immediate release of the detained journalists.

 “Such attacks aimed at silencing the press and making the truth invisible are unacceptable!” the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (Turkish: Mezopotamya Kadın Gazeteciler Derneği, MKG) said in a post. “Journalists cover the protests. Our detained colleagues must be released immediately.”

“Journalists have been attacked in Istanbul for days for doing their profession,” said the Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (Turkish: Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği, DFG). “Our colleagues were detained in dawn house raids today. We demand their immediate release.”

“This morning, the police raided the headquarters of our union and searched it. Searching the headquarters of a union is unacceptable!” DİSK Basın-İş union said in a post. “We will keep standing against unlawfulness, reporting and opposing it. All detained journalists must be released and the unlawfulness must end immediately.”

“Violence against journalists during the protests that have been going on in Istanbul for days and the detention of journalists in dawn house raids are unacceptable and unlawful,” said the Southeastern Journalists Association (Turkish: Güneydoğu Gazeteciler Cemiyeti, GGC). “We call on the authorities to end violence against journalists, immediately release the detained journalists and ensure security for journalists while doing their profession.”