OSCE media freedom representative calls on Turkish police to respect journalists’ rights when covering demonstrations
VIENNA, 1 June 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today expressed concern over police treatment of the media covering the ongoing demonstrations in Istanbul.
“I am concerned that excessive police force has resulted in injuries to some media workers on the scene. Police should rather facilitate the work of journalists, as they need to feel safe in order to fulfill their duty to report on issues of public interest. The authorities must require law enforcement agencies to respect the rights and duties of the media,” said Mijatović.
The police has aimed water cannons and tear gas at a large group of public protesters, among them journalists, on Taksim Square in central Istanbul.
At least three journalists have been reported injured so far. Ahmet Şık, of the daily Birgün, was reportedly hospitalized when he was hit by a police tear gas canister while photographing clashes between police and protesters. Osman Örsal, a photo-journalist for Reuters suffered head injuries at the scene. Selçuk Şamiloğlu, a photo-journalist for the Hurriyet daily newspaper was attacked and hospitalized while performing his journalistic duties.
According to some media reports, access to the Internet is being blocked through jamming devices in some areas of the city. "The Internet must remain a free and open source of information. Security concerns, however legitimate, should not be invoked to hinder the free flow of information," said Mijatović.
"I welcome that the authorities have recognized the excessive use of force in these demonstrations, and have stated that they will investigate this."
The Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media issued a special report in 2007 on how to treat media during public protests. It is available at //www.osce.org/fom/25744