DİYARBAKIR - One of the imprisoned journalists, JINNEWS Manager Safiye Alagaş has been the voice of women and children for 15 years despite all threats. Speaking about Alagaş, who received the "Courage Award in Journalism", her colleague Arjin Dilek Öncel said, "Safiye persistanly did her job."

 

In the operation carried out against Kurdish journalists in Diyarbakır on June 8, 22 people, 20 of whom are journalists, were detained. 16 of the journalists, whose journalistic activities are considered a crime, were arrested on June 16 on the charge of "being a member of a terrorist organisation" by the court to which they were reffered after eight days of detention.

 

It is not the first time that journalists who have been detained and arrested have met with repression. Almost all of the 16 journalists behind bars now, have been detained and arrested many times before, or investigated and lawsuits have been filed against them. JINNEWS News Director Safiye Alagaş is one of them.

 

COURAGE AWARD IN JOURNALISM

 

Alagaş, who started journalism as a reporter at Dicle News Agency (DİHA) in 2007, later worked for JINHA, which reported stories on women. After JINHA was closed with a Law Decree (KHK) following the military coup attempt on July 15, 2016, Alagaş continued her career as a news director at JINNEWS. Alagaş, a member of the Mesopotamia Platform for Women Journalists (MKGP), was awarded the "Courage Award in Journalism" by being deemed worthy of the international award given in honor of Italian journalist Maria Grazia Cutuli, a Corriere della Sera reporter who lost her life in the al-Qaeda attack in Afghanistan in 2011.

 

SAFİYE WAS CHARGED WITH 'PROPAGANDISING A TERRORIST ORGANISATION'

 

A prison sentence of 1 year-3 months and 8 years-9 months was requested for Alagaş, who was accused of "propagandising a terrorist organisation" based on 12 news stories published in JINNEWS. Alagaş was acquitted on October 22, 2019, at the end of the trial.

 

ALAGAŞ WAS ARRESTED

 

Her colleagues MA editor Arjin Dilek Öncel and JINNEWS reporter Şehriban Aslan spoke about Alagaş, who was detained on June 8 in an operation against journalists in Diyarbakır and was arrested after being accused of doing her job.

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE THEIR WORK OUTSIDE'

 

Stating that 16 of her colleaques, who were arrested, were imprisoned unjustly and unlawfully for the last seven days, Öncel said: “The main reason for the arrests of the journalists was their journalistic activities. The government wanted to silence the journalists who are exposing their dirty policies they are trying to hide from the public eye. They will continue to write in prison and they will expose the violations of rights inside the prison. And we will continue to work on their behalf outside." 

 

'SAFİYE PERSISTANTLY DID HER JOB'

 

Noting that she worked with Alagaş in Urfa, Öncel said: “Safiye and I worked together for a while in difficult conditions in Urfa. There was an election going on. In each election period, the pressures of the government on the society increase. AKP was resorting to violations of rights in order to win the election. During the time we worked together, Safiye focused on women and children. Women were being murdered in Urfa and we didn't know exactly what they were going through because they were imprisoned at home. Safiye insistantly did her job. She was stubborn. She tried every way to reach those women and she did. That's when I clearly understood what she was capable of as a journalist." 

 

'SAFİYE WAS THE VOICE OF THE ŞENYASAR FAMILY'

 

Stating that Alagaş also played an important role in announcing to the public about what happened to Şenyaşar family, Öncel said: “Before the election, a massacre took place that the whole world is talking about. There was an attack on the Şenyaşar family. We followed the day of the massacre together. A massacre took place in front of everyone in Suruç State Hospital, where the MPs, the Governor and the District Governor were. And the murdered family was blamed. Şenyaşar family has been registered with the Chamber of Merchants and Craftsmen for 20 years. Although all Suruç residents knew that there were shopkeepers there, the family was accused. During that period, Safiye reported serious stories. Safiye was reporting stories to let the public know how the family had been treated unfairly. Safiye reported the stories about the whole society what the women, children and Şenyaşar family went through."

 

'SAFİYE HAS FOLLOWED THE TRADITION OF THE FREE PRESS'

 

Öncel who underlined that Safiye worked hard to give a platform to the underdog, said: “It was very difficult to reach women due to the feudal structure of Urfa. But Safiye was trying to find a solution by knocking on every door, by visiting the homes of Kurdish, Arab, Turkish and refugee women, listening to their stories, and then worrying about them and reporting their story for the people to hear. Safiye was very sensitive about the violations children and women suffers. She may be under arrest at the moment, but she maintains the same sensitivity inside. I am sure she will report the violations of rights about the women there. Safiye will also inform us about the violation of rights about her journalist colleaques.”

 

'HER CONTRIBUTION TO ALL REPORTERS IS ENORMOUS'

 

Stating that her colleaques called Safiye "Atom ant" because she is very hardworking, another colleague of Alagaş, JINNEWS reporter Şehriban Aslan, who is a witness of Alagaş's work as a journalist, said: "Safiye has a long journalism experience; her contribution to all the reporters in the agency is enormous. Safiye taught and learned at the same time. Safiye is always trying to learn more. As journalists working with Safiye and our other imprisoned colleaques, we will continue their work. We will do both our own work and theirs. We will continue from where Safiye left off.”

 

MA / Eylem Akdag