Mezopotamya Agency

Mezopotamya Agency (Turkish: Mezopotamya ajansı/ MA) is a Kurdish news agency based in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.[1] It is described as pro-Kurdish by the Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists of the Council of Europe (COE),[2] and left-wing by the International Observatory of Human Rights.[3] It publishes articles in Kurdish, Turkish and English language.[1]

Mezopotamya Agency
FoundedSeptember 2017, 20 (20-09-2017)
Headquarters
Beyoğlu, Istanbul
,
Turkey
Area served
Worldwide
Websitemezopotamyaajansi35.com

History

MA was established on 20 September 2017 following a purge of many pro-Kurdish newspapers and news agencies.[4] It publishes articles critical on the Turkish Government and the access to the website operated by Mezopotamya Agency has been blocked for more than 20 times by the Turkish authorities[5] upon which each time Mezopotamya released their reports over a new domain.[3] The agency often publishes articles from the predominantly Kurdish provinces of Turkey.[4] MA's staff is often targeted by the Turkish authorities, their offices raided, their equipment confiscated and the journalists prohibited from entering public institutions.[4] Several of its reporters have been arrested or been sentenced to prison terms.[6][7] Journalists Sadiye Eser and Sadık Topaloğlu were arrested in December 2019[2] accused of being a member of a terrorist organization and released pending trial a few months later in March 2020.[8] On the 6 October 2020, two journalists of the news agency were imprisoned after they reported that two peasants were thrown out of a Turkish military helicopter in Van Province.[9] They were released in April 2021.[10] Mehmet Aslan, who covered the situation of the Kurdish prisoners was imprisoned in January 2021,[2] and released pending trial with an international travel ban in May 2021.[11]

References
  1. "contact - Mezopotamya News". Mezopotamya Agency. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  2. "Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists". Council of Europe. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. "Four Turkish journalists arrested: Turkey remains the worst jailer of journalists globally". International Observatory of Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  4. "Reporting under fire: Mezopotamya news agency". International Journalists. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  5. "Turkish court blocks access to Mezopotamya News Agency's website for the 28th time". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  6. Luque, Javier (27 November 2020). "Turkey must stop harassment of Mezopotamya Agency reporters". Free Turkey Journalists. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  7. "Mezopotamya Agency Reporter Barış Polat Sentenced to 6 Years, 3 Months in Prison". Bianet. 7 January 2020.
  8. "Verdict of Release for Journalists Sadiye Eser, Sadık Topaloğlu". Bianet. 27 March 2020.
  9. "Turkey: Four journalists detained after reporting on alleged torture / IFJ". www.ifj.org. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  10. "Court rejects appeal against release of journalists reporting on torture". Bianet. 8 April 2021.
  11. "Journalist Mehmet Aslan released". Bianet. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
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