Istanbul- A press statement was issued at the Şişhane Square in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district for jailed 16 journalists in Amed (Diyarbakır) under the leadership of the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform (MKGP) and the Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (DFG).

The press statement was attended by many journalists, the members of the Press Unit of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK), Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), Anatolia Association for Solidarity with the Families Who Lost Their Relatives (ANYAKAY-DER) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul MP Musa Piroğlu.

“The aim is to intimidate society”

The press statement written in both Kurdish and Turkish stated that the AKP-MHP government trying to get rid of the crisis aims to intimidate society by waging a war, carrying out an oppression policy and methods.

“The government, which sees all segments opposing its economic policy deepening the economic crisis, its policy ignoring social values, its crimes, its policy of war and plunder as “its enemy”, is losing now. The government, which aims to increase its power through elections and war, also aims to intimidate the press, particularly the free press because it cannot control them,” the press statement says.

“We will continue to be the voice of truth”

During the raids on houses of journalists and news outlets, the police confiscated cameras, computers, news equipment, archives and many documents. “We do not take a step back. Despite all the pressures, we stand by our colleagues by strengthening our resistance even more. We are here and we will continue to be here. Our colleagues will continue to write no matter where they are. We, as journalists, will continue to be the voice of truth and society.”