Jinnews, which reports on many issues such as harassment, rape, war crimes, isolation, attacks against women, and unlawfulness, has been prosecuted for their news and its website has been blocked to access 31 times. “We are the voice of women and this is our source of energy. The most important thing for us is the struggle, not pressures,” says Safiye Alağaş, the news director of Jinnews.

MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed  – The website of Jinnews, an all-women news agency founded on September 25, 2017, in Turkey, has been blocked access 31 times until now. Since its foundation, many reporters of Jinnews have been arrested and lawsuits have been opened against the news agency for their news articles about the attacks on Afrin in 2018 and about Musa Orhan, who raped İpek Er in Batman province. The news director of Jinnews Safiye Alağaş spoke to our news agency about the lawsuits and pressures against their news agency. She told us that they will apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if the pressures on them continue.

“They try to intimidate us”

Stating that they see the access blocks against their agency as another face of fascism in Turkey, Safiye Alağaş said that this policy of repression carried out by the government is not only against them but also all people in the country and that they (the government) try to intimidate them by using access blocks.

“We are the target of the government”

The free press never takes a step back against the pressures by forming a line of struggle, Safiye Alağaş said that as a women's news agency, they are constantly the target of the government. “Our news agency is one of the media outlets facing pressures and closures. Jinnews was founded when ŞUJİN was closed down in 2018. We kept reporting for Jinnews. Our website has been blocked access for 31 times until now. Access blocks are a form of psychological violence. The number of access blocks shows the dimension of this violence. We face such pressures because of being a women’s news agency,” she said.

“The government doesn’t want us to expose the rapes and abuses”

“In Turkey, most women speak up and take to the streets against pressures, because most women feel uncomfortable with the existing system. As a women’s news agency, we are the voice of women protesting the system. We try to expose rapes, abuses, and crimes. The government doesn’t want us to expose rapes and abuses and crimes. The government doesn’t want those who expose it. We are under pressure but we continue to report on the path to truth.”

“Our reports don’t constitute a crime”

Our reports don’t constitute a crime; Safiye Alağaş said that the lawsuits opened against them unlawful. “Nearly four lawsuits were opened against us for reporting on Afrin and ongoing isolation on the charges of “making propaganda”. Isolation is a crime against humanity all around the world. We were acquitted of all the accusations. But facing legal process is legal harassment. We do journalism; our journalism should not stand trial. But they use such methods to scare us or to prevent us. They also know that journalism is not a crime. Reporting a crime is not a crime.”

“Women’s struggle is our source of energy”

“We take strength from our struggle against pressures and obstacles,” Safiye Alağaş said that there is one-type journalism in Turkey. “We struggle against all kinds of rights violations, the sexist language used by press outlets, harassment, and many more. As struggling women, we will never give up reporting. We are the voice of women and this is our source of energy. Women’s struggle is our source of energy. The most important thing for us is the struggle, not pressures.”