Seven Turkish dailies probed for publishing prosecutor’s hostage photo

ISTANBUL

AP Photo

An investigation into seven Turkish newspapers for publishing the hostage photo of slain prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz was launched on April 2.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Terror and Organized Crimes Police Department have officially launched an investigation into dailies Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet, Posta and Bugün for “making propaganda of the terrorist organization.”

The Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also opened an investigation into dailies Sözcü, Ortadoğu and Milli Gazete for “making propaganda of the terrorist organization.”

Meanwhile, a total of 13 media organizations and journalists including Hürriyet, Zaman and CNN Türk television had their access banned for the press conference and the funeral ceremony of Kiraz at the Eyüp Sultan Mosque on April 1.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has announced that he gave the instruction to withhold accreditation.

“While a great number of media organizations shared the Kiraz family’s sorrow discreetly, some of them showed the impoliteness of publishing the hostage photos. So I gave the accreditation instruction. I am ready for any criticism. I requested that they be careful many times, but I could not see any humanitarian sensitivity when I looked at the papers,” he said.

In addition, Turkish press groups denounced the decision, stressing that it was against the principle of equality among journalists.

Two militants with alleged links to the outlawed far-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) took Kiraz, the prosecutor in the controversial case of the killing of Gezi victim Berkin Elvan, hostage on March 31.

Kiraz succumbed to his injuries in hospital after the six-hour hostage drama, during which security forces killed the two captors.