DİHA Correspondent, Provincial Co-Chairs of HDP, DBP Arrested

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Five people taken into custody in Muş province including Dicle New Agency (DİHA) correspondent İdris Sayılgan and provincial executives from Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party have been arrested. That way, the number of arrested journalists and writers has risen to 2016.  

According DHA, the above mentioned were taken into custody in house raids on October 17, and referred to Muş Court House yesterday (October 24).

After giving their testimonies before the Prosecutor’s Office, DBP Provincial co-Chair Hatice Şeker, HDP Muş co-Chair Ayşe Söylemez, Mesopotamia Association of Cooperation and Solidarity With Families Who Lost Their Acquaintances (MEYA-DER) Provincial co-Chair Medeni Işık, DİHA correspondent İdris Sayılgan and Çiçek Tutuş were referred to court for arrest on charge of “being a member of an [illegal] organization”.

All five were later arrested the same charges and were sent to Muş Prison.  Maşallah A. on the other hand was released on probation.

106 journalists and writers under arrest

According to the BİA Media Monitoring Report July-August-September, 107 journalists and 10 distributors were in prison as of the beginning of October. 71 of the journalists were from the Gülen Community-owned media outlets and 29 others as well as all of the distributors were from the Kurdish media.

Lale Kemal, Nuriye Akman and journalist Lindsay Snell from the United States who were also listed among other arrested journalists in the Monitoring Report were released on October 13.

Evrensel daily correspondent Cemil Uğur was arrested on October 6 on charges of “propagandizing for an  [illegal] organization”, and “being a member of an [illegal organization].

As of October 25, the number of journalists and writers were 105. Including Sayılgan’s arrest, the number has risen to 106. (BK/DG)

* Photograph: DİHA