BERLIN (Meydascope) – Turkish authorities have opened an investigation into Anka, an independent news agency that recently held a live broadcast from the İncirlik air base near Adana in the southeast of the country.
by Leo Kendrick . Medyascope
Anka’s live broadcast from İncirlik followed US and Israeli air strikes on Iran over the past 48 hours.
Anka Editor-in-Chief Kenan Şener, who hosted the live broadcast, has been accused of threatening Turkish national security.
Şener denies threatening Turkish national security
In a statement made after the investigation was launched, Şener denied having endangered Turkish national security with the live broadcast, saying:
“I do not believe this live broadcast consisted a national security risk. I take responsibility for any content that poses such a risk but do not believe I made a mistake from a journalistic perspective.”
Şener was taken into custody as part of the investigation, as well as other journalists such as Koza TV Editor-in-Chief Mehlika Bilen and correspondent Sergen Ölçer. Gürel Bıçakçı, an official from Adana’s opposition-controlled municipality, was also detained as part of the investigation.
Anka pulls broadcast, acknowledging ‘misunderstandings’
A statement from Anka announced the broadcast in question had been removed, saying it had caused ‘misunderstandings’:
“ANKA, as a well-established and respected news agency in Turkey, accepts its fundamental responsibility to inform the public accurately and impartially, with a broadcasting approach based on the independence, national unity and the indivisible integrity of our country within the framework of the constitutional order, without compromising the principles of journalism.
As ANKA News Agency, we regretfully realized that the title of the live broadcast in the Incirlik region caused misunderstanding. We made his broadcast with the goal of informing the public after the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
In accordance with warnings and criticisms from the Center for Combating Disinformation, we decided to remove the broadcast in question.
“We apologize to those concerned and the public for the social media posts and live broadcasts we made as journalists that led to misunderstanding.”
CHP criticizes detentions, investigation
In response to the incident, several representatives belonging to Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) released a parliamentary question list on the matter, taking aim at the significant increase in journalist arrests in Turkey in recent years, as well as the alleged impunity of security forces towards protestors, question whether Turkey’s heavy handed tactics are in line with guidelines established by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Press freedom in Turkey
Freedom House ranks Turkey as “not free” in measures of civil liberties and political rights, citing an increase in authoritarianism and widespread detention of journalists over the past decade.
Turkey has also failed to comply with rulings made by the ECHR in the Selahattin Demirtaş and Osman Kavala cases.
Anka, an independent news agency based in Ankara, specializes in the collection of data for distribution to other members of the media. Anka is known for providing early data on election results in Turkey, and isn’t seen as an independent alternative to Turkey’s government-funded Anadolu Agency.
