EFJ Calls for Immediate Release of 2 Evrensel Reporters

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The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has called for two reporters from the Evrensel daily, Cemil Uğur and Halil İbrahim Polat, to be released immediately.

The EFJ, noting that the journalists have been detained in Mersin for 15 days, drew attention to the fact that the detained journalists faced insults and threats.

The federation added that the police have not provided any information about the condition of the journalists.

The journalists, who were reporting on the “freedom watch” organized in Mersin province for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, were taken into custody by police on August 23.

In a written statement, the EFJ said:

“The EFJ and its associates are deeply concerned about the conditions of journalists, their long detention period, and the threats and insults that journalists face.

“Journalism is not a crime and journalists work to provide people with access to accurate information.

“The Turkish authorities must immediately release our colleagues, Cemil Uğur and Halil İbrahim Polat, and must launch an investigation into the insults and threats they faced during their detention”. (EKN/TK)

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