OSCE Urges Turkey To Ensure Journalists' Safety After Recent Attacks

The OSCE media freedom representative, Teresa Ribeiro, on Monday expressed her concerns over recent physical attacks on two journalists in Turkey and called on the authorities to bring those responsible to account

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2021) The OSCE media freedom representative, Teresa Ribeiro, on Monday expressed her concerns over recent physical attacks on two journalists in Turkey and called on the authorities to bring those responsible to account.

Last week, two journalists, Ibrahim Akkus from the Yenicag newspaper and Mustafa Uslu from the Ihlas news Agency, were subjected to physical attacks in Turkey. Uslu was attacked by four people while he was filming demolition works at a ranch of IYI Party lawmaker Lutfu Turkkan. Akkus, reporting the deficiencies of a public hospital in Samsun province, was attacked by three employees of a construction company.

"The safety of journalists is an indispensable prerequisite for media freedom. This means that journalists must be able to perform their journalistic activities without being intimidated, threatened or attacked. I hope that the relevant authorities will investigate the cases thoroughly and swiftly bring all perpetrators to justice," Ribeiro said.

Turkey ranks 153rd out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders 2021 World Press Freedom Index.