ELİF AKGÜL

Istanbul – Journalists and citizen journalists working on the street have faced many barriers in Turkey for a long time. On December 12, journalists Nebiye Arı and Hilal Işık were taken into custody for “not having press cards” while covering the protest of students in Ankara. Artı Gerçek reporter Yağmur Kaya was also detained while covering the protest. These days, the people conducting street interviews have faced barriers for not having press cards. The YouTubers, who call themselves “Citizen Journalists”, were detained for conducting street interviews upon the complaint of AKP Central Executive Committee member Mücahit Parlak. Then, the YouTubers were released from detention but ordered to remain under house arrest and they are banned from traveling abroad.

Crackdown on people continues

Last year, Turkey’s police headquarters circulated a notice allowing police officers to prevent people from filming or recording security forces on smartphones while they were on duty. Then, the Court of Cassation halted the circular. Despite that, people still face a de facto crackdown. While some journalists face no obstruction in reporting from Taksim Square, some are prevented. Security guards in parks, municipal police and police on the streets, riot police, and gendarmerie in front of courthouses prevent the freedom of the press by “instruction”. We spoke to lawyer Sevgi Kalan about the legal ground of obstacles against journalists and citizens filming or recording on smartphones.

Recently, street interviews have become very popular and restrictions against them have been increasing. Who can conduct a street interview?

Everyone who wants can conduct street interviews. A citizen needs to ask permission from only the interviewed person before recording an interview. People have to take legal permission only for shooting a film. The legal steps for taking permission are regulated by the Regulation on Filming Permits and Co-Productions published in the Official Gazette on October 15, 2019.

“There are no legal barriers against citizens conducting street interviews”

Are there legal barriers against people conducting street interviews?

There are no legal barriers against journalists or citizens conducting street interviews. But people are forbidden from taking photos in official institutions, courthouses, and courtrooms for security reasons. Many news channels such as Show TV and Star TV don’t take any permission to conduct interviews. Therefore, all journalists and press outlets don’t need to take any permission to conduct interviews.

“Citizen Journalism is important for the right to be informed”

The number of citizen journalists has increased. What are the legal barriers that can prevent people from filming and recording the incidents they witness as citizens?

As everyone knows, the internet and smartphones have brought significant changes to the media landscape. All citizens who carry a smartphone in their pocket have become potential journalists. This is an extremely important and positive development in terms of freedom of expression and the right to receive information. People have recorded and filmed many important events all around the world. For instance, the footage showing how two planes hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11 was shot by a smartphone. If people were forbidden from recording and filming, no one would see it.

“Journalists don't have to get a press card to do journalism”

Journalists don’t have to get a press card to do journalism. As a result, citizen journalists have the right to film and record events and their rights have been protected by national and international regulations within the framework of freedom of expression. Citizen journalism is not an illegal act to be “fought against” or “to be regulated.”