DİYARBAKIR - Speaking at the 1st Ordinary Congress of Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu said, "We will further strengthen our organization."

 

Dicle Fırat Journalists Association held its 1st Ordinary Congress in the association building. The congress, attended by a large number of journalists, started with a minute's silence for free press workers who lost their lives.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF DICLE FIRAT JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION

 

The Congress continued with the election of the Council Board. The Chairperson of the Council Board, who is a spokesperson of the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform (MKGP), Ayşe Güney, who emphasized the importance of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, which was founded by journalists in a time when journalism was completely monistic, said, "Journalism is completely under the monism of the palace. Unfortunately, other journalists have to do the journalism profession at a very limited level due to the censorship imposed on them. The free press comes to our mind when we speak of journalism in Turkey. It is very valuable for the free press to organize in such a time."

 

THE EMPHASIS ON ORGANISATION

 

DFG Co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu said that the association is in a position to maintain the 30-year tradition of the free press. Expressing that they have deficiencies at the point of organization due to pandemic, Müftüoğlu emphasized that they aim to strengthen the press freedom struggle with the congress. Müftüoğlu pointed out that Turkey ranks at the bottom when it comes to press freedom and stressed that the tradition of the free press is struggling to overthrow it. Referring to the annual activities of the association, Müftüoğlu said, "We fought for arrested journalists. We were in front of the courthouses for our friends to be released. We organized protests and press releases to the extent that we could make our voices heard. We prepared reports on the arrests, detentions and repression of journalists throughout the year. We tried to be heard by both Turkey and the world. In this context, our association will continue its activities strongly in the upcoming period. And we aim to further grow our organization to express the freedom of the press with a louder voice."

 

Following the opening speeches, the annual financial and activity reports of the association were read. Dicle Müftüoğlu, Serdar Altan, Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Nişmiye Güler, Cuma Daş, Sultan Mercen and Kadri Esen were elected to the DFG Board of Directors in the election held with a single list to elect the organs of the association.