14 more journalists got arrested in Turkey in August
During the 'Justice Duty Meeting' held in front of Çağlayan Courthouse of İstanbul, lawmaker Barış Yarkadaş from Turkey’s main opposition party CHP (Republican People’s Party) read his party’s report on rights violations related to press freedom in the month of August.
Talking to journalists in Çağlayan on Wednesday (August 31), Yarkadaş said: “Journalists in Turkey have been put into a situation where they cannot even breathe”.
33 journalists were taken into custody and 14 of them have been arrested just in the month of August, Yarkadaş said, adding, “The AKP government is trying to lock the truth, along with journalists, in cells. Howevever, truth is stubborn; even if you try hiding it, there will always be journalists who make them heard by the people”.
With the latest arrests, the total number of journalists jailed in the country - where the government has been leading a massive crackdown since the failed coup attempt of last summer – has increased to 184, Yarkadaş said.