Turkey’s Telecommunications Directorate has banned access to the website of Women’s News Agency JINHA.

The statement issued by Telecommunications Directorate said “Administrative measures are being implemented for this website (jinha.com.tr) as of 07/10/2015 and under the authority of law no 490.05.01.237719 as a result of technical and judicial assessments carried out in accordance to law no. 5651”

JINHA responded against the ban in a statement which said “When we set off four years ago as the first women’s news agency in Turkey, we said ‘we write without minding what the men would say”. We also write without minding what the male-dominated state would say and we will continue to write the truth. We will reach our subscribers through our new address”.

Free Women’s Congress (KJA) has also strongly reacted to the ban and urged for the ending of these anti-democratic measures.

The statement of the KJA said a civilian coup is being experienced in the country due to the AKP government's ambitions for a system change and coming into power alone in a historic process during which the political power failed to take democratic steps as the peoples of Turkey made their choice for an equal and free life under the umbrella of the HDP in 7 June elections.

KJA said a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression and press remained under a big threat in today’s Turkey, where unlawful treatments against the press workers are taking place on daily basis, regarding which the judicial authorities remain silent and ineffective.

Free Women’s Congress stressed that the lack of a solution for a Kurdish question has brought along a discrimination against the Kurdish media and press organisations as well as Kurdish press members, and added that Free Press workers are struggling to convey the truth to the peoples of Turkey under the repression of the state at the cost of heavy prices.

KJA said the state repressions on the press has gained a new dimension with the ban imposed on the news agency of women while JINHA should have rather been a source of proud for Turkey. To silence JINHA is a shame on the state said KJA, and added that those who cause this shame will anyhow account for it to the peoples of Turkey, primarily the women.

“We once again remind that the regimes in which opposition does not exists or not allowed existence are not called as democratic, and call for an immediate ending of these anti-democratic measures”, ended the statement.