Journalist Erdoğan Alayumat claimed he was subjected to an unlawful strip search following his detention on Monday as part of a “terrorism” investigation, the Bianet news website reported.
Alayumat was taken into custody during a pre-dawn raid on his home and transported to the İstanbul police station. Lawyers from the Media and Law Studies Association, who later met with him, said Alayumat described being forced to undergo a strip search despite his objections. He told police that the procedure violated his human rights, but his protestation was ignored.
In a message conveyed through his lawyers, Alayumat said, “We will continue to show that journalism is not a crime, no matter where we are. We will persist until those in power understand this.”
On Monday, Turkish authorities detained 231 individuals allegedly linked to terrorist organizations as part of a series of coordinated raids across 30 provinces.
Among those detained were journalists, activists and labor union leaders. The list of journalists includes Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Bilge Aksu, Ahmet Sünbül, Roza Metina (president of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association), Bilal Seçkin, Mehmet Ücar and Suzan Demir. Others detained include translator-director Ardin Diren, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, poet and writer Hicri İzgören, translator and writer Ömer Barasi and publishing coordinator Baver Yoldaş.
According to Turkish legal regulations, strip searches can only be conducted in exceptional cases, such as when there are credible indications that the person has contraband materials on their person. In such cases, the search must be conducted in a manner so as not to humiliate the individual and must be performed as quickly as possible. When there is a credible suspicion that something is hidden inside the person’s body, officers are required to ask the person to remove it themselves and inform them that if they disobey, the removal will be performed by the prison doctor.
Turkey has faced criticism from international human rights organizations for its treatment of journalists, particularly those affiliated with pro-Kurdish or opposition outlets. Since a failed coup attempt in 2016, the government has intensified its crackdown on media freedoms, often citing terrorism charges to detain reporters and shut down news organizations.
Turkey, which has had a poor record of freedom of the press for years, ranks 158th among 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index published on May 3 on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
