Journalist covering murder of Kurdish family targeted by Turkish newspaper

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A journalist covering the murder of a Kurdish family in Turkey’s central Konya province has been targeted by a pro-Turkish government media outlet, the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) said on Thursday. 

Berna Kisin, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency (MA), was targeted by Memleket newspaper with allegations that she wrote a pro-terrorist story following her coverage of the assassination of seven members of a Kurdish family last week, which has been labeled by many as a racist attack.

Seven members of the Dedeoglu family, who lived in the Meram district of Konya, were killed on Friday evening. Their house was subsequently set on fire. The main suspect of the murder was arrested on Wednesday.

Memleket newspaper claims that Kisin encouraged conflict through a “simple security incident,” adding that Kisin was “lying” about the location of the village where the crime took place.

On Thursday the CWIJ condemned the targeting of Kisin, adding that Memelekt “also alleged that the journalist organized a smear campaign about the horrific incident.”

“Journalists are obliged to inform the public and Berna has fulfilled her journalistic responsibilities. Targeting someone can cause severe consequences for journalists,” it said, urging Turkish authorities to “take security measures” and ensure journalists’ safety. 

On Saturday, Kesin tweeted that reporters who were trying to cover the murder of the Dedeoglu family were blocked by force. “The front of the hospital is under siege. Who are you protecting?” she said.

Memleket also claimed that MA turned the murders into “racist propaganda” in a campaign to smear the province.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times denied the very existence of Kurds. The word “Kurdistan” is banned from the parliament, most Kurdish private media is closed, and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is under immense pressure with hundreds of its members in jail. An armed Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has waged a decades-long conflict with the state.

One person was killed after a Kurdish family was attacked in Konya on July 21.

Turkish authorities arrested three people in connection with what was also described as a “racist attack” in Mersin against a Kurdish family from Erbil in mid-May.