Istanbul- The Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (Turkish: Mezopotamya Kadın Gazeteciler Derneği, MKG) held a press conference at the Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch on Friday about the health condition of Perihan Sevda Erkılınç, a reporter of Özgür Gelecek daily newspaper held in the Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison.

At the conference, a banner reading “Free press cannot be silenced” was hung at the conference hall and women journalists held the photos of Perihan Sevda Erkılınç.

Expressing their growing concerns over the crackdown on journalists in Türkiye, journalist Yadigâr Aygün said, “While the democratization of Türkiye is discussed, the intensified crackdown on journalists raises our concerns. No one can talk about democracy without the freedom of the press. The patriarchy and its power especially target women journalists. Journalists, women and socialists are detained and arrested and face oppression. The aim is to silence them.”

Yadigar Aygün pointed to the deteriorating health of Perihan Sevda Erkılınç and said:

“She has celiac disease but no access to gluten-free diet meals in prison. She should be immediately released from prison.”

New Democrat Women (Yeni Demokrat Kadın-YDK) member Nurgül Uci recalled that Perihan Sevda Erkılınç was arrested for her journalism. “Prison conditions, trial processes, etc. are turning the process of imprisonment into systematic torture. Our colleague Sevda is only one of our colleagues who face this systematic torture. We will keep struggling against this.”

Songül Yücel, Editor-in-Chief of Önsöz magazine, was detained along with Perihan Sevda Erkılınç. “Sevda and Songül were detained on the same day and sent to prison. Both have been held in Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison on charges of membership in an illegal organization despite the lack of any concrete evidence. They should be immediately released from prison.”