ANKARA - The women journalists arrested as part of the Ankara-based investigation stated that they are the successors of Gurbetelli Ersöz and emphasized that they will continue to write the truth under all circumstances.

 

Journalists who were arrested on the grounds of "being a member in a terrorist organisation" on October 29 as part of the Ankara-based investigation, Diren Yurtsever, the Editor-in-Chief of the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), reporters Berivan Altan, Ceylan Şahinli, and JINNEWS reporters Habibe Eren and Öznur Değer, were released from the Sincan Women's Closed Prison where they were detained, sent messages through their lawyers.

 

The messages of the women journalists who met with their lawyers are as follows:

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF THE FREE PRESS'

 

Berivan Altan: Their aim is to silence the Free Press and its journalists but the Free Press, which has not been silenced since the 90s despite unsolved murders, cannot be silenced by these arrests. We will continue the Free Press tradition with dozens of new friends.

 

WE ARE THE SUCCESSORS OF GURBETELLİ

 

Öznur Değer: The tradition of the Free Press will continue to write the truth from past to present, despite oppression, killings and arrests. We are the successors of Gurbetelli Ersöz, prison will not take away our pencils and the Free Press will not be silent.

 

APÊ MUSA'S SUCCESSORS WILL CONTINUE

 

Ceylan Şahinli: The place we are in will not prevent us from doing journalism. As the successors of Apê Musa, we will continue where we left off.

 

JOURNALISM SHOULD BE SUPPORTED

 

Diren Yurtsever: The reason we were arrested is being journalists. What we do is; defending journalism, not defending ourselves. In this process, where the conditions for newspapering in Turkey have been abolished, our expectation from our colleagues and from all segments of society is that they embrace journalism. A perception operation is being carried out. But the main thing to do is to try to cover up the facts. While we are being tried to be taken into custody, we were tried to be subdued. But we did not bow down, and we will not bow down. We insist on truth reporting and say that the Free Press cannot be silenced. We are good. Thank you to everyone who shows solidarity. Wherever we are, we will continue to write the truth.

 

WOMEN WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE THE TRUTH

 

Habibe Eren: I was arrested together with our friends as a result of a mise-en-scene in the 99th year of the Republic. We know that this arrest is not the first, nor will it be the last. But history is not just repeating itself for us. As we witnessed many things during our time in this profession, we also saw that tortured police detained us under torture. History repeats itself among them. As women journalists, we will continue to write journalism and the truth for society under all circumstances. We will meet together on free days. We're fine, we're in good spirits, I greet you with enthusiasm.