TGS is prevented from visiting prisons

Since 2019, the TGS delegation has been prevented from visiting journalists in prison.
Most recently, our request to visit journalist Elif Akgül, who is imprisoned in Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison, was rejected by Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office without any justification. We were told verbally that the visit was not appropriate because Akgül is being held on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization”. Our application to the Ministry of Justice was tacitly rejected with no response.
Neither the Prosecutor’s Office nor the Ministry responded to our application for journalists imprisoned in Silivri Prison, and our applications were rejected.
Journalists who are held behind bars as suspects because of their professional activities are treated as terror convicts whose crimes have been proven. Journalists are being cut off from their professional organizations.
We call on the Ministry of Justice to abandon this arbitrary practice. Do not prevent journalists from meeting with their professional organizations.
#JournalismIsNotACrime