Journalists’ Call To Citizens: Let Us Meet On 24 October Against Repression And Censorship!

Professional press organisations issued a joint call for action against the detention and imprisonment of journalists, the appointment of trustees to media organisations and access blocks imposed on news sites and social media accounts.

Saying “No to censorship, freedom for the news”, professional press organisations will hold simultaneous demonstrations and mass press statements in numerous cities today at 14.00, on the first anniversary of the appointment of a trustee to TELE 1, amid the imprisonment of journalists, the closure of Halk TV, the blocking of access to T24 and numerous websites, and the censorship of thousands of social media accounts.

Reacting to the obstruction of the public’s right to information and the criminalisation of journalism, professional press organisations stated that they did not accept journalists being detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest because of the reports they produced, the questions they asked and the truths they uncovered.

The statement opposed the imprisonment of journalists and the fitting of electronic tags to their ankles despite the absence of any risk of absconding or tampering with evidence.

Emphasising that journalism is not a crime, the professional press organisations stated that reporting the news, asking questions, criticising and conducting oversight on behalf of the public are constitutionally protected rights.

The organisations also reacted to the silencing of television channels and news sites, the appointment of trustees to media organisations and the blocking of social media accounts belonging to journalists, experts and citizens who share news reports.

Calling on political parties, trade unions, bar associations, human rights and civil society organisations, professional organisations and citizens whose right to information has been obstructed to participate in the demonstrations, the organisations will deliver the message “The press is free and cannot be censored” in many cities, particularly Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Eskişehir, Antalya, Adana, Kocaeli, Van and Diyarbakır.

The meeting places, by city, for the demonstrations to be held simultaneously in many cities today are as follows:

Adana: In front of the Press Monument in Artists’ Park – 13.00

Ankara: March from Kolej Junction to Sakarya Avenue and statement – 14.00

Antalya: March from the Attalos Statue to Cumhuriyet Square – 14.00

Bursa: Osmangazi–Şehreküstü Square – 14.00

Diyarbakır: March from outside the courthouse to the BTK building – 14.00

Eskişehir: Köprübaşı – 14.00

Istanbul: March from the Kadıköy Bull Statue to the square and statement – 13.00

İzmir: March from the Kıbrıs Şehitleri Türkan Saylan Cultural Centre towards the port – 14.00

Kocaeli: İzmit Uğur Mumcu Park – 14.00

Van: March from Art Street to the city square and statement – 14.00

The full call issued by the professional press organisations is as follows:

As professional press organisations representing journalists who defend the public’s right to information and pursue the truth, we declare: Enough is enough! We cannot breathe!

We will not remain silent in the face of an order in which journalism is regarded as a crime, news as a threat and truth as objectionable, and in which not only journalists but everyone who objects is subjected to censorship.

Press freedom is a fundamental right not only of journalists but of society as a whole. We are raising our voices against the silencing of the truth, the obstruction of the public’s right to information and the censorship of every section of society.

We do not accept journalists being detained because of the reports they write, the questions they ask and the truths they uncover; being imprisoned despite the absence of any risk of absconding or tampering with evidence; or being placed under house arrest with electronic tags fitted to their ankles.

Journalism is not a crime. Reporting the news, asking questions, criticising and conducting oversight on behalf of the public are constitutionally protected rights.

We will not stand by as television channels and news sites are silenced one by one, trustees are appointed to media organisations, and access is blocked to the social media accounts of journalists, experts who inform the public or citizens who share our reports.

We invite everyone whose voice we have helped make heard until now and who now faces similar repression; political parties, trade unions, bar associations, human rights and civil society organisations, all professional organisations and, most importantly, our citizens whose right to information has been obstructed, to stand alongside this common objection on Saturday, 24 October, against the seizure of HALK TV and the closure of numerous websites, on the first anniversary of the appointment of a trustee to TELE 1.

Through simultaneous demonstrations and mass press statements that we will hold in many provinces, particularly Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Eskişehir, Antalya, Adana, Kocaeli, Van and Diyarbakır, we will say: “The press is free and cannot be censored.”

If we remain silent, the truth will remain in darkness. If we cannot write, the public cannot learn. If we cannot ask questions, those in power will not be held to account.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Gazetecilerden yurttaşlara çağrı: Baskılara ve sansüre karşı 24 Ekim’de buluşalım!, published in BirGün newspaper on October 24, 2026.