Sawt Falasteen - Journalism under threat in Turkey, says AFP photographer

In an interview, Akgul, 35, who spent four days in custody, condemned a push "to make it impossible" to bring images of the protests to the world, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces growing unrest over the March 19 arrest of his main rival, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Despite Akgul's release, the charges against him remain.

Q: What happened on the day of your arrest?

"I had been covering the protests for four days... The day before my arrest (Sunday), I got burns on my hands from so much exposure to tear gas. That night, I had trouble sleeping. I was woken up at dawn by a dozen police officers knocking at my door.

"The noise woke my wife and son. 'You'll be back home after you give your deposition', the officers said. I left without being able to see my daughter.

"During the 48 hours I was detained at police headquarters and then at the courthouse, I thought I'd be released at any moment, since all I'd done was my job."

Q: What are you accused of?

"The justice minister (Yilmaz Tunc) has admitted that covering protests is part of a journalist's job. In the picture taken by police, it's impossible to say I'm doing anything but journalism. But to designate me as a protester, my camera was deliberately masked in the image.

"The decision to throw me in jail came even though my identity as a journalist was known, and evidence provided to prove it."

Q: What does your experience say about freedom of the press in Turkey?

"My colleagues and I have often covered journalists' arrests in Turkey. I always dreaded it could happen to me one day.

"Until now, it had mainly been reporters and opinion writers who were targeted. A photojournalist had never been jailed for doing his job.

"I see that as a desire to make it impossible to cover current events in images. Other well-known photographers were arrested at the same time as me."

Q: What was hardest during your detention?

"The waiting and uncertainty are painful. You ask yourself, 'Why me?' But what saddened me most was that I hadn't been able to see my daughter.

"Having my camera taken added to the pressure. I've been a photographer for 18 years and I've never not had my camera. I bring it with me wherever I go, because I know news can happen anytime in Turkey. That's what I'm here for: to document and share the news.

"I hope no other journalists will face a situation like this. But unfortunately, I fear that arbitrary acts to silence journalists and stop them from doing their job will continue in Turkey."

G.AbuGhazaleh--SF-PST