Huseyin Akyol: They pull out all the stops to prevent us from journalism

Some of our journalist friends were killed, some of them were thrown into prisons, some of them had to go into exile. But we kept going. They closed our newspapers, we continued, we bombed, we continued, and now we continue.

Huseyin Akyol

Huseyin Akyol, who has been a journalist for 34 years, with these sentences raise his voice amidst the crowd in front of the courthouse in Diyarbakır.

There was a huge crowd outside the court, with 15 journalists who have been detained since June 8 appearing in court for the first time today. Their families and colleagues had gathered outside the court, waiting for an announcement.

The journalists, who are accused of ‘membership in the organization,’ defended themselves in court for the first time.

Huseyin Akyol: No matter which government is in power, they are always angry about our news

Some people followed the trial inside, others sat outside the court waiting for their relatives.

Journalist Huseyin Akyol was one of those people in the courtroom. When the court took lunch time, we saw him outside.

He has worked for the free press since the 1990s. When a bomb attack was carried out on the newspaper ‘Ozgur Ulke’ (Free Country) in 1994, he was at his workplace.

According to Akyol, no matter which government is in power, they are always angry about our news

Our news has always bothered this government and previous ones. For 34 years, we just followed the news. They pull out all the stops to prevent us from journalism.

Huseyin Akyol

Hayriye Oruc: Azizi’s children grew up in the ways of prison

We come across the sister of the journalist Aziz Oruç between this crowd. She has come with his family and is sitting in the garden of the court.

Aziz started to work as a journalist in 2013. Since then, he has been arrested three times. This is the third time he has been arrested and he has spent a year in prison.

Hayriye Oruc

Azizi has two children. One is 7 years old and the other is 6 years old. We ask her about the children’s condition and what they think about their father’s arrest.

Azizi’s children grew up in the ways of prison. When they see the police, they ask, “Are they going to take my father?” The mental health of children is damaged. Their childhood is passing on the way to the prison.

Hayriye Oruc

Like every person, every journalist’s story is different. Everyone has his own story.

In the case of journalists, no decision has been made yesterday. Their defense will continue today.

After the conclusion of their defense, the court will decide on the 15 detained journalists.

This news was translated by Yonca Sarsilmaz

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