The killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin by a Turkish drone while they were covering news near Kobanê, and the unlawful detention of seven journalists protesting the killings in Istanbul, continue to be protested by colleagues. Journalist Mahsun Sağlam, one of those detained and later released under judicial control after spending a night in custody at the Istanbul Vatan Police Department Security Branch, spoke to ANF. Sağlam said that while in custody, police officers threatened them with torture and emphasized that such arrests and threats will never break the spirit of the free media.

"We were detained before we even met!"

Sağlam, a journalist with the Yeni Yaşam newspaper, said that they had gathered at Şişhane Square to attend a press conference organized by the Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association, Mezopotamya Women Journalists’ Association, and Basın-İş Union under the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) to protest the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin. He pointed out that police asked for their identity cards and effectively began the detention process even before their protest had started. "Before our protest even began, Şişhane Square had been cordoned off by police. They didn’t even allow us to gather, instead they checked our IDs and confined us in a small area under siege. They essentially conducted an unlawful detention. When we protested this illegality with slogans, they arrested us with violence. They separated us from each other, attacking and assaulting us with rage and hatred, and handcuffed us behind our backs."

"Police threatened us"

Sağlam said that they had previously witnessed people being tortured and detained while exercising their right to protest during news coverage, but added that this time the detentions were markedly different. He said: "The police acted with anger. They openly treated us as enemies. They left us handcuffed behind our backs in the detention vehicles for hours and transported the atmosphere of war into these vehicles. They openly threatened us. They told us: ‘You deserve yellow bags,’ and they meant body bags. We stated that we would file complaints and expose these threats."

13 journalists killed in past 5 years

Sağlam said that "the special warfare media manipulates perceptions, consolidating people around certain narratives. Meanwhile, the independent press, which provides alternative reporting, becomes a target. This is exactly why Nazım and Cihan, as well as 13 journalists over the past five years, have been killed by drones. The aim is to prevent the exposure of the realities of war. When these realities are exposed, lies and corruption become visible. This is why journalists are specifically targeted. This is a war crime."

"We will never bow to these attacks!"

Sağlam stressed that by detaining and arresting journalists, the authorities aim to cover up the truth, but added that "this is a futile effort." He said that journalists will never stop writing the truth: "Threats won’t work. They cannot demoralize us by unlawfully imprisoning our colleagues. Our response to these attacks will be to work even harder. Our colleagues will be free very soon. The free media will not be silenced. This slogan has always been part of our struggle, and it reflects the enduring reality that the voice of truth can never be silenced. This is not an empty phrase, it has been our firm stance since the 1990s, following the killings of countless journalists. It embodies the undeniable fact that they can never suppress the voice of truth."