Dekak, who is the head of Rudaw’s Diyarbakir office, was covering a visit to the city by Ali Babacan, leader of the opposition DEVA Party. He was in a group of other journalists waiting for Babacan to exit a mosque and speak to reporters when an unidentified man began to yell at him.
Dekak said the man told him not to speak in Kurdish, saying “Rudaw, this is the soil of the Republic of Turkey. You cannot behave in your way. Do not do anything stupid.”
The man threatened Dekak in Turkish and attempted to physically assault the reporter when he responded in Kurdish. “He said this is Diyarbakir and you cannot speak in Kurdish here,” Dekak recounted.
Fellow journalists prevented the man from physically attacking Dekak, who was not injured.Our reporter Mashallah Dekak was assaulted on Friday while speaking Kurdish for a report for Rudaw TV in Diyarbakir (Amed), Turkey.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) January 12, 2024
"This is the Republic of Turkey!" said the unidentified man. pic.twitter.com/FVWb8obg0E
Police were present at the mosque providing security for Babacan’s visit, but they did not intervene. They arrested the unidentified assailant after Dekak filed a complaint.
The Southeast Journalists Association (GGC) condemned the attack on Dekak, who is a member of the association.
“We strongly condemn the attack attempt against GGC member and Rudaw TV Diyarbakir representative Mashallah Dekak. This attack on our colleague is unacceptable. Although it is somewhat consoling to learn that Dekak is in good health, we strongly condemn this attack,” the association said in a statement.
The Diyarbakir branch of Turkey’s Journalists’ Syndicate also condemned the incident.
“The attacker swore at our colleague in the presence of dozens of cameras and citizens, as well as many police officers, and if this was not enough, he attempted to physically attack him. In addition to the swear words uttered by the reckless person during the attack, his attempt to delegitimize the work of our colleagues by saying ‘This is the Republic of Turkey’ is another striking aspect of the incident,” the Syndicate said.
Numerous journalists, politicians, and social media users condemned the incident.
Turkey does not officially recognize the Kurdish language, the mother tongue of some 18 million Kurds in the country. Kurdish politicians and civilians are frequently harassed or assaulted for using the language in public settings.
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