The new Turkey
Semra Turan.
The Tunceli reporter for Mezopotamya

21-Mar-2019

19 March 2019:

Mezopotamya news agency reporter detained again

Semra Turan, a reporter for the Mezopotamya news agency, was detained once again in the province of Tunceli after she was detained and released earlier in March, the agency reported on Tuesday.

Turan was on a visit to the Tunceli Police Department, which invited her by phone to retrieve a camera that was confiscated during her previous detention.

When she arrived at the station, she was put under detention for an investigation in Ankara.

7 March 2019:

MA reporter Semra Turan released from custody
 
Semra Turan, a Tunceli-based reporter for the Mezopotamya news agency, was taken into custody on 6 March during an early morning police raid on her home.
 
Turan and three others who had been detained during the same operation were brought to the courthouse on 7 March, where a prosecutor referred them to a court for release under judicial control measures. Turan and three others were accused of “membership in a terrorist group.” The court ruled to release all four without imposing any judicial control measures.

6 March 2019:

Turkish police detain Kurdish journalist after raid

Turkish police arrested journalist Semra Turan in a raid on her home in the eastern province of Tunceli early on Wednesday, reported pro-Kurdish news outlet Mezopotamya agency.

Turan, the Tunceli reporter for Mezopotamya, was taken into custody after the police search and taken to the Provincial Security Directorate, according to Mezopotamya.

No reason was given for her detention. In recent weeks, Turan has written several stories about the Kurdish-led Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which the government has linked to a Kurdish insurgency and imprisoned many of its key figures.

Across Turkey’s east and southeast, HDP candidates are expected to challenge candidates from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in local elections on March 31.

The government’s broad media crackdown has gained strength since the failed coup of July 2016. Some 135 journalists and media workers are currently behind bars, according to the Journalists' Union of Turkey. In February alone, Turkish courts held trials for 46 journalists and arrested one. Source