HDP Press and Propaganda deputy co-chair, Tayip Temel issued a written statement to mark “Working Journalists Day” and said that we are sailing through dark times when it comes to journalism.

HDP Press and Propaganda deputy co-chair, Tayip Temel issued a written statement to mark ‘Working Journalists Day’.

Temel said that in Turkey,‘Working Journalists Day’ should be celebrated as a joyful event, however “10 January 2021 is marked by repression of journalists.”

Temel added: “We are going through a dark period in which it is almost impossible to be a journalist. Those who write the truth are tried and threatened to be in jail or to be unemployed.”

The statement continued: "Turkey unfortunately occupies the last positions of all of the world's press freedom ranking. Turkey is again one of the country with the highest number of journalists in prison. There is almost no journalist free of investigation or not under trial. The sector with the highest rate of unemployed is the media, and the unemployed work precariously and under political pressure. Newspapers, televisions, websites writing the truth are shut down one after the other. Broadcasting bans are imposed on all content that disturbs the government. In other words, journalism is surrounded by the government on all sides.”

Temel added: “According to the government, only those who write what they dictate are to be considered journalists. There are journalists who know that that what they hide is actually the news, not what they show. There are journalists who have overcome the siege of the government no matter the risks. There are journalists who investigate, prove and write about torture, theft and plunder. The existence of those journalists is the hope of this country. Because journalism is not an ordinary profession. It is impossible to achieve democracy and prosperity in a country where journalists are silent, submissive, and follow orders.”

The statement said that “10 January should be a day to be celebrated in the true sense, but this is only possible if journalists can work in free, secure and humane conditions.

We salute all press workers who persistently walk in the footsteps of the truth. The days when all journalists working, unemployed, jailed and exiled will celebrate January 10 like a holiday are near. We promise to continue the struggle to get to these days as soon as possible."