Journalist Beaten by Police During Press Statement Given By Sümeyye Erdoğan

T24 Reporter Michelle Demishevich

ISTANBUL — T24 news portal reporter Michelle Demishevich was beaten by police officers in civilian clothing on Monday in front of the Belgian Consulate in Istanbul when attempting to attend the press statement given by Sümeyye Erdoğan, the daughter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The incident occurred when members of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) women’s wing went to the Belgian Consulate in an act of solidarity to show support for Mahinur Özdemir, who was recently expelled from her status as a member of the Belgian parliament for denying the large-scale massacres of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as a genocide. After the women’s wing gave their press statement outside of the consulate, Sümeyye Erdoğan met with the Belgian Consul General. When she was leaving her visit with the consul, journalists gathered to inquire about the meeting. It was at this time that Demishevich was beaten by the police officers.

“I was there to record Sümeyye’s statement, but I was blocked by a total of five civil police officers, two of which were women. In spite of having told them that I was a journalist, the police did not listen to me. I told Sümeyye and my colleagues that I was being violently attacked. Despite Sümmeye saying, ‘Do not obstruct the journalist from doing her job,’ the police officers pulled me away from the scene by my hair,” Demishevich explained, according to the news report published by T24.

This story reported by Turkish publication Today’s Zaman