It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, May 02, 2023
Tunisia’s powerful UGTT urges release of jailed union officials
Tunis, May 1 (EFE).- Tunisia’s influential General Labour Union (UGTT) demanded on Labor Day on Monday the release of senior union officials arrested in recent months.
The union said that the growing government crackdown would not stop them from defending workers’ rights.
“We will not keep quiet in the face of threats and catastrophes awaiting the country,” UGTT head Noureddine Taboubi during a Labor Day speech.
Taboubi accused the Tunisian authorities of “tarnishing the country’s image” after preventing a delegation from the International Trade Union Confederation from entering the country in March and expelling its general secretary, Esther Lynch, after taking part in a union demonstration.
The UGTT, which claims to have a million members and played a key role in the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, backed president Kais Saied’s parliament suspension in 2021.
However, the union has distanced itself from Saied’s policies after he approved a new constitution after a referendum in July despite a 70% abstention. EFE
New York, May 1 (EFE).- Hundreds of workers, a large number of them Latino immigrants, on Monday commemorated International Workers Day in New York City with a march through the streets of Lower Manhattan during which they demanded better working conditions and pay, giving undocumented migrants the right to work, the legalization of sexual work and for greater respect for their labor.
Slogans such as “Workers united will never be defeated” and “Yes, you can” – first articulated by agricultural workers’ rights activist Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) – were loudly chanted as the marchers and members of nine organizations from different sectors, including immigrants’ and prisoners’ defense organizations, unions and legal services, moved through the Big Apple,
Street vendors, domestic workers, restaurant and cleaning workers, porters, construction workers in their hardhats, members of the LGBT community and transgender sex workers, among many others, gathered Monday morning on Washington Square, near New York University, where amid a festive atmosphere with Latino music and assorted signs they made their demands and concerns known.
One of those demands is for the City Council to approve a bill that would prevent unjustified firings and would obligate bosses to provide an explanation for terminating an employee.
In addition, the demonstrators want the state government to give the green light to a program to create the “Unemployment Bridge Program” so that workers without work permits, domestic workers and independent workers can receive an income if they lose their jobs, a situation that affected many thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic.
This, in particular, was the main concern of Carmen Canela, who works in the restaurant sector, a single mother with three kids. “I don’t have unemployment insurance and I’m not the only one. We (came here) seeking a better future and we’re finding an uncertain future,” she said amid the cheers of other workers carrying signs – some of them in Spanish – saying things like “The workers’ struggle has no borders,” “Support immigrant workers,” “Excluded no more” and “Without essential workers, the US is nothing.”
The construction workers made their voices heard over the issue of workplace safety and demanded minimum pay of $40 per hour in the kind of job that has cost many workers – many of them Latinos – their lives.
This year, among the demonstrators were transgender sex workers who are seeking legalization for their activity.
Sex worker Nathan Brown said the marchers wanted to make clear that “sex work is work” and that sex workers are demanding rights and protections, adding that she has been discriminated against for being a transgender woman, a situation that others have also experienced and are thus unable to find employment.
She said she’d been to different places to ask for work but the bosses look her up and down and tell her they’ll call her but never do. Because of that, she added, many transgender women stop working in the sex industry so that they can get other employment to be able to send money to their families, pay their debts and “put food on the table.”
She said that “it’s time” for the state legislature to decriminalize “the buying and selling of sex among adults.”
The workers set out from Washington Square to the sound of drums and other instruments, surprising many passersby, many of whom took photos or videotaped the colorful and peaceful protest.
EFE –/bp
Brazil’s Lula pledges to combat gender pay gap in May Day speech
Sao Paulo, May 1 (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged during an International Workers’ Day event here Monday to fight to achieve equal pay for women, further raise the minimum wage and create high-quality jobs.
Lula, who governed from 2003 to 2010 and took office for a third term on Jan. 1, leveled more criticism at the Central Bank for keeping its benchmark interest rate at 13.75 percent, saying tight monetary policy was crimping growth and job creation in South America’s largest nation.
“We can’t live in a country where the interest rate doesn’t control inflation. In fact, it controls unemployment in this country because it’s partly responsible for the situation we’re in today,” the center-left head of state said at the Vale do Anhangabau park in downtown Sao Paulo.
Lula, a former lathe operator who began his political career as a union leader during the 1964-1985 dictatorship, thanked workers for giving him “four more years (to) fix” Brazil.
“We’re going to change this country because the economy is going to grow again and create jobs,” he promised.
The 77-year-old head of state devoted a significant portion of his remarks to praising women, lamenting that they continue to be treated “as if they were inferior” and stressing the need to “be tougher against harassment” in the workplace.
“The lack of respect for women at work is a shame … We all know women aren’t weak and that in many activities they’re braver than men,” Lula said.
In that regard, he recalled that his government has introduced a bill to guarantee “for the first time, without commas or periods, that women will earn the same salary as men” for doing the same work.
Lula also referred to two bills unveiled on Sunday – one that would guarantee the minimum wage is adjusted annually at a rate higher than inflation and another that would extend the income tax exemption to workers who earn up to 2,640 reais ($530) per month.
The president said a higher minimum wage even helps the wealthiest Brazilians by increasing the purchasing power of the working class.
He added that he intends to create quality jobs through a broad-based infrastructure plan, noting that to that end he sought to attract foreign investment during recent visits to China, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal and Spain.
Brazil’s unemployment rate currently stands at 8.8 percent, having risen in the first quarter of 2023 due to a slowdown in economic activity that was triggered by an elevated inflation rate and high interest rates.
Despite the current scenario, Lula vowed to achieve even more in his third term than he did between 2003 and 2010, when he left office with sky-high approval ratings.
“I want to prove that over the next four years I’m going to do much more than in my first eight years in office,” he said. EFE
cms/mc
SIR KEIR RED TORY
Tuition fees: How the left has responded to Keir Starmer’s U-turn
The Labour leader has said the party will 'move on' from a commitment to abolish tuition fees
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After the Times reported that the Labour Party’s policy on higher education was set to change, the party’s leader Keir Starmer confirmed that would Labour is ‘likely to move on’ from a commitment he previously made to abolish university tuition fees. He made the pledge during his campaign to become leader of the Labour Party.
But now Starmer says that while “the current system is unfair” and “doesn’t really work for students”, because the UK is in a “different financial situation” than three years ago, Labour will be looking at other options for university funding.
The reported shift on tuition fees has been welcomed by some Labour members. Former Labour MP Mike Gapes, who defected to Change UK in 2019 before rejoining Labour in 2023, said: “The Corbynite policy of scrapping all tuition fees is regressive giving a huge subsidy to those from wealthier families. Better to spend the money on restoring Sure Start, primary schools and more help for Further Education students. Starmer is right.”
However, the change in policy has been criticised by others within the Labour Party.
Left wing faction Momentum compared Starmer’s shifting position to that of Nick Clegg, who famously went into the 2010 general election pledging to abolish tuition fees only to triple them when in government. A spokesperson for Momentum said: “This move wouldn’t just fly in the face of party democracy and the wishes of Labour Students. It would be a betrayal of millions of young people in desperate need of hope. The Labour leadership should learn from Nick Clegg’s failure, not repeat it.”
The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made similar comments. He tweeted: “Young people should not be saddled with a lifetime of debt just because they want to get an education. Abolish tuition fees, restore maintenance grants and deliver free education for all.”
Trade unions and other political parties have also criticised the shift in Labour’s position. Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) said: “Keir Starmer repeatedly pledged to abolish the toxic system of tuition fees and in doing so was elected leader of the Labour party. It is deeply disappointing for him to now be reneging on that promise, a move which would condemn millions of future students to a life of debt. What we really need is a positive vision for higher education that puts staff and students first”
And Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “This is the latest U-turn from Keir Starmer’s Labour and this time it’s students who are paying a heavy price. The Green Party believes tuition fees should be scrapped and grants restored.
“Higher education is a public good and should therefore be properly funded by Government. Students in England pay some of the highest fees in the world, while in Scotland, Germany and Sweden university education is free. This shows that the whopping £9000 charge for students, introduced by the coalition government and now backed by Labour, is a political choice. Publicly funded higher education is not only possible but essential to a society committed to equality and social mobility.”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Sunak told to ‘stop hiding’ and resolve NHS strikes
Unite pledges to escalate walkouts across England to save the austerity-hit health service from destruction NHS workers take part in a march from St Thomas' Hospital to Trafalgar Square, London, as members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Unite union continue their strike action in a dispute over pay, Monday May 1, 2023
TORY Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “needs to stop hiding and step in” to resolve NHS strikes, Unite demanded today as the union pledged to escalate its walkouts across England and save the austerity-hit health service from destruction.
A majority of unions representing more than one million staff on NHS “agenda for change” contracts, which cover all health service workers apart from doctors, dentists and senior managers, officially endorsed the government’s latest pay offer.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay promised to implement the below-inflation deal — a one-off payment for 2022-23 and 5 per cent this year — after Unison, GMB, the British Dietetic Association and unions representing midwives and physiotherapists voted for it a meeting of the NHS Staff Council today.
But the world’s biggest nursing union, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), secure psychiatric workers union the POA and the Society of Radiographers joined Unite in rejecting it after being instructed to do so by their members in recent ballots, meaning the dispute is far from over.
RCN head Pat Cullen said her union, which held another 28-hour strike from Sunday evening, still planned to reballot its members for a further six-month industrial action mandate as required by Tory anti-worker legislation.
In a letter to Mr Barclay, Ms Cullen said that while she “entirely respected” the choice of other unions, she would continue to fight for her members, who rejected her call to back the offer by voting to reject it last month.
“Nursing is the largest part of the NHS workforce and they require an offer that matches their true value,” she stressed.
Unite committed to more action across ambulance services and hospitals and called for negotiations to be reopened.
General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s NHS members have spoken — we will be escalating strike action.
“The staff council vote is not binding on individual unions and therefore it will not stop Unite representing the best interests of our members.
“The current offer will not solve the huge issues surrounding understaffing that are destroying the NHS and Unite’s members have their union’s absolute backing in fighting against it.
“It now time for the government to reopen negotiations. The Prime Minister needs to stop hiding, step in and solve this dispute.”
NHS Confederation boss Matthew Taylor said the “worrying prospect of further industrial action remains,” warning that today’s development is “not the line in the sand [with] the underlying issues affecting the NHS that led to this activity being felt as necessary in the first place.”
Action is needed to address the demands of the four unions still in dispute and to stop intermittent junior doctors strikes by the British Medical Association, he said.
Sara Gorton, head of health at Unison and chairwoman of the union group on the staff council, noted that six months of intermittent walkouts “shouldn’t have needed to happen in the first place.
“Proper pay talks last autumn could have stopped health workers missing out on money they could ill-afford to lose, and the NHS and patients would also have been spared months of disruption.”
She demanded the wage increase be included in next month’s pay packets to help key workers hit by 40-year-high double-digit inflation.
Further walkouts in Scotland and Wales have so far been avoided following much improved offers from devolved SNP and Labour ministers respectively.
MORNINGSTAR GBCP
Comedian skewers CNN CEO over exorbitant compensation as writers strike
Brandon Gage, Alternet May 2, 2023 Comedian Adam Conover appeared on CNN on Tuesday and tore into its Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav over his astronomical compensation as members of the Writers Guild of America go on strike.
"What do you say to those that run this industry that say, 'Look, times are changing. We are not making as much money as we once did. This is not the golden era of television' — although some of this would argue the shows are great — what do you say to them?" anchor Sara Snider asked.
"So I point out the fact that David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent company of the network I'm talking to you on right now, was paid $250 million last year. A quarter of a billion dollars!” Conover exclaimed.
"That's about the same level as what ten thousand writers are asking him to pay all of us collectively, alright? So I would say if you’re being paid $250 million — Ted Sarandos made about $50 million last year — these companies are making enormous amounts of money. Their profits are going up. It's ridiculous for them to plead poverty when the writers who are making their shows, some of them are not able to pay their rent or their mortgages," Conover continued. "I literally know writers who have had to go on assistance because they have not been able to make their year. If you look at these companies, they’re making more money than ever. It's the people who make the shows for them that are making less."
The conversation ended there.
"Adam Conover, thank you so much for coming on because you ruined everything," Snider joked. "You may have just ruined my career, but I don't mind. Appreciate you coming on."
Chile faces new constituent assembly vote 4 years after massive social unrest
Santiago, May 2 (EFE).- Chile’s search for a new societal model following a massive 2019 uprising against socioeconomic inequality hit a major roadblock last year when voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitution to replace their dictatorship-era charter.
But a new major milestone comes Sunday when Chileans head to the polls to elect the 50 members of a new Constitutional Convention.
Momentum was clearly on the side of the progressive left when in an October 2020 plebiscite nearly 80 percent of voters opted to replace the constitution inherited from the 1973-1990 right-wing military regime.
Subsequently, a Constitutional Convention vote was held in May 2021, leading to the election of a majority of independent and progressive candidates.
Gabriel Boric, Chile’s most leftist president since Salvador Allende (overthrown via coup in 1973 by military rebel forces led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet), was then elected in November 2021.
But public opinion later turned against the assembly and its draft constitution, which would have characterized Chile as a plurinational state, established autonomous indigenous territories and provided full gender parity at all public institutions and companies.
That text was rejected by 62 percent of voters in a referendum in September of last year, prompting Chile’s political class to set another constituent assembly process in motion, albeit one with very different characteristics.
“We’d become accustomed to a lot of stability in Chile, but the long road to a new constitution has defied that image,” Benjamin Gedan, director of the Washington DC-based Wilson Center think tank’s Latin America Program, told Efe.
Nevertheless, Chile “has shown itself to be a country that can channel social unrest through democratic processes.”
Estefania Andahur, a member of Chile’s Network of Political Scientists, told Efe that there is now much less enthusiasm surrounding the drafting of a new constitution than before.
She said that whereas four years ago there was an “eagerness to organize,” people are now much more concerned about problems such as inflation and violent crime.
Cristian Ovando of Chile’s University of Tarapaca, for his part, said “fatigue” has set in due to a number of factors, citing the “psychosocial cost of the unrest and the pandemic” and the failure of the first constituent process.
A key difference in the new process will be the role played by a committee of 24 congressionally designated experts who are tasked with preparing a preliminary draft of the new constitution.
The 50 members of the Constitutional Convention who are elected on Sunday will then have five months to make modifications to that text before citizens eventually vote on the final proposed constitutional draft in a Dec. 17 referendum.
Critics say the Convention members will have too little room to maneuver because they will have to stay within the limits of 12 constitutional bases that were laid out in a cross-party accord known as the “Agreement for Chile.”
Those principles include the declaration of Chile as a “social and democratic state governed by the rule of law,” the recognition of indigenous peoples as part of the “Chilean nation” and affirmation that the legislative branch has two chambers: a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies.
“There’s very little interest, and that will be reflected in the turnout. It will be lower than in the September plebiscite, which was historically high, only comparable to the 1988 vote against Pinochet,” Rene Jara of the University of Santiago told Efe.
Most polls point to Chile’s right wing being the big winner of Sunday’s Constitutional Convention elections, although it remains to be seen how many seats will be won by the right-wing populist Republican Party, which had no representation in the previous constituent assembly and supports the current constitution that favors the privatization of basic services.
According to the University of Chile’s Octavio Avendaño, the delay in resolving the country’s constitutional problem can be traced to a fundamental misreading of the 2019 protests as an anti-free market and leftist movement, “when in reality that’s not what it was.”
History of Indigenous boarding schools in U.S. Northwest
History of Indigenous boarding schools in U.S. Northwest
Published May 2, 2023 at 3:57 PM
For 75 years, the Tulalip Indian Boarding School was a mainstay in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S.
And according to the U.S. Interior Department, it was also one of hundreds of boarding schools that often subjected Native American children to abusive conditions.
The department is conducting a year-long tour to fill in the gaps about what’s known about those facilities.
It held a hearing in Washington state this past weekend.
Dominican Republic: Pegasus spyware discovered on prominent journalist’s phone
A high-profile woman journalist in the Dominican Republic has been targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, in the first confirmed case in the country, Amnesty International reveals in a new investigation published on World Press Freedom Day.
Analysis by Amnesty International’s Security Lab confirmed that a mobile device belonging to Nuria Piera was targeted and infected with Pegasus, which enables full and unrestricted access to a device, three times between 2020 and 2021. Piera is an investigative journalist who has focused on issues of corruption and impunity in the Dominican Republic throughout her decades-long career.
The latest discovery means there are now at least 18 countries, where it has been confirmed with forensics that journalists were targeted with spyware, though the actual scale of this abuse of surveillance technology is likely to be much higher. The Dominican Republic is the third country in the Americas, after Mexico and El Salvador, where Amnesty International has confirmed the use of Pegasus to target journalists and human rights defenders.
“The Dominican Republic is the latest country where spyware is being weaponized to silence and intimidate courageous journalists. Having already uncovered multiple cases in Mexico and El Salvador, we will continue to investigate any evidence that arises of the possible further use of Pegasus in the Dominican Republic. We call on states to urgently adopt a global moratorium on spyware,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
Spyware exposed
Amnesty International’s investigation found evidence of Nuria Piera’s device first being compromised with Pegasus on or around 20 July 2020. Similar signs were also discovered on or around 8 September 2021 and 1 October 2021. Amnesty International also shared forensic data with The Citizen Lab for peer-review, who confirmed the conclusions using their independent methodology.
Nuria Piera told Amnesty International she was working on sensitive, high-profile investigations around the time her device was infected with Pegasus. She was looking into reports of corruption related to high-ranking government officials and relatives of the nation’s former president; months later, criminal judicial proceedings were brought against them for alleged bribery and other criminal charges.
Having already uncovered multiple cases in Mexico and El Salvador, we will continue to investigate any evidence that arises of the possible further use of Pegasus in the Dominican Republic.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International
Piera first received confirmation that she had been targeted by Pegasus when notified by Amnesty International’s Security Lab. In November 2021, she received the Apple notification that was sent to users whose devices were reportedly attacked by exploits used by Pegasus and Quadream’s spyware, which has been linked to Pegasus. Piera stated that she had never received a judicial order or any other formal notifications from the Dominican authorities that she was under surveillance, nor told any of the reasons behind it.
These invasive tactics can be particularly harmful to women journalists, who often face gender-based attacks, including accusations of having violated traditional social, sexual or moral norms.
“You have to work hard to not become neurotic, because you’re always suspicious that someone may have information about you. It’s like being in quicksand. It really affects your sense of freedom, how free you feel to speak up. Sometimes you don’t even know how they want to hurt you, through you or through your loved ones. You then feel responsible, which is even more serious” Nuria Piera said.
Amnesty International urges the authorities to promptly conduct an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the unlawful targeted surveillance of journalists in the country, including the targeted attack with Pegasus on Nuria Piera.
“In a country where journalists and human rights defenders have long alleged that surveillance is prevalent, finding Pegasus should be taken as a concerning threat. Since surveillance poses enormous risks to the physical safety and mental wellbeing of journalists, and may place their sources, colleagues, friends, and family in harm’s way, the Dominican authorities must immediately investigate this case and provide effective safeguards to protect journalists and prevent this from happening again,” said Elina Castillo Jiménez, Digital Surveillance Researcher at Amnesty International.
There are now at least 18 countries, where it has been confirmed with forensics that journalists were targeted with spyware.
Surveillance and journalism in the Dominican Republic
As part of an ongoing investigation, Amnesty International spoke to dozens of journalists and human rights defenders in the Dominican Republic, nearly all of whom suspected they had been targeted for surveillance because of their work. Most suspected that intelligence officers were targeting them using traditional forms of surveillance, such as wiretapping.
The lack of transparency around the use of surveillance and spyware, however, makes it difficult for victims to obtain information or to seek accountability. In the Dominican Republic, there are no clear avenues for adequate remedies in the event of unlawful targeted surveillance. Habeas data, a constitutional avenue for data and privacy protection available in the country, and the criminal remedy available under Law 53-07 on Crimes of High Technology (Ley 53-07 sobre Crímenes y Delitos de Alta Tecnología), can only be used when you know who is surveilling you, which is not always possible without being granted access to information or without the necessary technical skills. It is often virtually impossible for targets to even prove the existence of surveillance, either because of technical hurdles or the covert nature of its use. These factors limit access to remedy and further expand the chilling effect of surveillance.
In a country where journalists and human rights defenders have long alleged that surveillance is prevalent, finding Pegasus should be taken as a concerning threat.
Elina Castillo Jiménez, Digital Surveillance Researcher at Amnesty International
In the Dominican Republic, journalists known for investigating corruption may also risk becoming the target of smear campaigns. Edith Febles, another prominent woman journalist who uncovered irregularities during the tenure of the former attorney general, told Amnesty International that she was regularly the target of waves of what appeared to be orchestrated attacks on social media because of her work.
“Something of this nature deeply harms the rule of law and harms the professional practice [of journalism]. No journalist should be subjected to acts of this nature, which basically seek to undermine their word, to undermine the possibility of people finding out what is going on, because the problem is not even you. When it comes to undermining credibility, what they are trying to do is to put an obstacle between you and the communication you have with people,” said Edith Febles.
Amnesty International asked the Dominican authorities for information or comment on the use of Pegasus. At the time of publication, the office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Interior and Police responded that neither institution had bought or used Pegasus during the tenure of the current officeholders, which started in August 2020, and stated their willingness to investigate. Other authorities did not respond to the request. Amnesty International also asked NSO Group for comment, who did not provide a response.
As the country begins a legal reform of the National Intelligence System, Amnesty International urges the Dominican Republic to embrace this as an opportunity to implement a rights-respecting regulatory framework. Until such a framework is implemented, a global moratorium on the purchase, sale, transfer, and use of spyware must be enforced.
Background
Unlawful targeted surveillance violates the right to privacy and can lead to violations of numerous other human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Inter-American and international law and standards require that any state interference of the right to privacy should be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and serve a legitimate aim. Targeting journalists or other human rights defenders because of their work is never in accordance with international human rights law. Using spyware to target journalists and human rights defenders — in the absence of adequate transparency and other safeguards — also instils fear and has a chilling effect on their ability to work without undue interference.
Unlawful targeted surveillance can also have significant effects on mental health. It can lead those who suspect they are under surveillance to distrust and limit their interactions with others, shrink their intimate circles, avoid certain places, and even change their families’ schools or housing, for fear of attacks against their loved ones in retaliation for their work or activism. As surveillance of one person can also expose the personal information of people in their network, it can also lead to concerns over the wellbeing of their colleagues, friends, relatives, and even their sources. In this sense, unlawful surveillance can also have an impact on the right to health of those targeted and those around them.
In 2022, Amnesty International’s Security Lab began to independently analyze technical data from a sample of individuals identified as potential Pegasus targets in the Dominican Republic, including journalists and human rights defenders, as part of a broader, ongoing investigation into unlawful surveillance.
In 2021, Amnesty International provided the technical support for the Pegasus Project, which identified at least 25 Mexican journalists who were selected for targeting over a two-year period. Amnesty International’s Security Lab also peer-reviewed a joint investigation that Citizen Lab and Access published in January 2022 and independently verified forensic evidence confirming the use of Pegasus against journalists and members of civil society organizations in El Salvador on a massive scale.
NSO Group claims to only sell its products to government agencies, stating on its website: “NSO products are used exclusively by government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight crime and terror”. This claim is clearly contradicted by these new revelations regarding the use of Pegasus to yet again target a journalist.
More journalists detained, allegedly beaten in custody ahead of Turkish elections
A man is detained during Labor Day protests in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 1, 2023. Istanbul police attacked and briefly detained at least two journalists as they covered Labor Day marches and protests. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
May 2, 2023
Istanbul, May 2, 2023—Turkish authorities should immediately release Sedat Yılmaz, Dicle Müftüoğlu, and all other detained journalists and ensure the country’s security forces are not physically violent toward members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.
On Saturday, April 29, police detained Yılmaz, an editor for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency, and Müftüoğlu, co-chair of the local media advocacy group Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır in connection with an investigation by prosecutors in Ankara, the capital, according to multiplenewsreports.
Ankara prosecutors alleged that Yılmaz and Müftüoğlu have ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group and political party that Turkey classifies as a terrorist group.
Separately, on April 29, police detained six female journalists in Istanbul’s Kadıköy neighborhood for publicly reading a statement protesting the arrests and prosecution of journalists in Ankara and Diyarbakır, according to reports and tweets by advocacy organizations.
On May 1, Istanbul police attacked and briefly detained at least two journalists as they covered Labor Day marches and protests, according to newsreports.
Turkish authorities have arrested and charged several members of the Kurdish media over recent months with similar allegations of PKK connections, ahead of the country’s May 14 presidential election.
“The detainment of journalists Sedat Yılmaz and Dicle Müftüoğlu, on top of the arrests in Diyarbakır and the allegations of violence toward these journalists and others who showed solidarity with them in Istanbul, are signs of distress from a government that’s worried about the upcoming elections,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “The authorities must immediately release the journalists in custody and seriously investigate claims of police brutality.”
After the detainment in Diyarbakır, police drove Yılmaz and Müftüoğlu to Ankara. While they were being transported, the journalists alleged that their hands were tied behind their backs for 15 hours, they were deprived of food for 24 hours, insulted by the police officers, and Yılmaz was kicked in the head by one of the officers, resulting in hearing loss, according to multiplenewsreports. The pair are still detained, and Yılmaz’s lawyer has filed a criminal complaint concerning his client’s injuries and treatment.
The six female journalists were released on April 29 without charge, and later filed legal complaints against the police. They are: Eylem Nazlıer, a reporter for the leftist daily Evrensel. She reported that police officers slapped her face multiple times and punched her head once as her hands were cuffed behind her back. Pınar Gayıp, a reporter for the leftist Etkin News Agency (ETHA) Serpil Ünal, a reporter for the leftist news website Mücadele Birliği Esra Soybir, a reporter for the leftist news website Direnişteyiz Yadigar Aygün, a reporter for the leftist news website Gazete Karınca Zeynep Kuray, a freelance reporter who covers social events and protests
Gayıp and the other journalists also reported wounds to their wrists from the plastic cuffs that were tightened too tightly, according to those reports. The journalists were taken to a hospital for medical treatment before the police station, as is legally required.
On April 25, authorities in Diyarbakır detained at least nine journalists and a media lawyer for alleged ties to PKK. As of April 29, five have been released: Media lawyer Resul Temur Osman Akın, news editor for the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Yeni Yaşam Kadir Bayram, a camera operator for PIYA production company Salih Keleş and Mehmet Yalçın, two journalists whose outlets CPJ could not immediately confirm.
CPJ’s emails to the chief prosecutors’ offices of Ankara and Istanbul didn’t receive a reply.
History of Indigenous boarding schools in U.S. Northwest
