A journalist who asked Turkish interior minister on Friday to elaborate on his recent remark that the coming elections on 14 May is likely to serve as “a political coup attempt” was targeted by the police who took photos of the journalist’s ID and tried to delete the videos she recorded on her mobile phone.
Addressing a group of supporters, minister Suleyman Soylu said earlier in the day:
“14 May 2023 is the political coup attempt of the West. It is a coup attempt that can be created by bringing together on 14 May all preparations to dispense with Turkey. It is not I who say this. The person in charge of America said it years ago. They expressed that they could only take over Turkey with such a method after all the methods they tried years ago failed.”
Journalist Filiz Gazi recounted the incident that followed her question to Soylu:
“Haven’t his remarks implicated the voters of opposition parties as coup plotters? I asked him this question. Soylu replied: ‘Is such a thing possible? I’d meant America. Do you know America? Do you know what they did to Afghanistan?’ I responded: ‘Would you please explain so that those who do not have an idea about it will learn?’ He was angry. His eerie smile gave his feelings away. ‘I’m answering your question already. Have a blessed Friday,’ he said.”
She continued:
“I went on taking images of the crowd around him. When he approached the gate he turned to look at me, making some eye gestures. Yes, he was apparently infuriated. His body guards whispering and signaling showed me to one another (…) Within seconds I was encircled by them and by police officers. They took images of my ID. The police grabbed my phone and tried to delete the videos on it. They thought that the videos were deleted but they were still intact (…) ‘What are you trying to do? I’d never experienced this sort of thing before,’ I protested. This and many other things I said were left without a response. They did not care. They did not care that I was a journalist and that I was trying to report.”
Gazi also posted a video of the short conversation between her and Soylu as she asked him to elaborate on his “coup attempt” remark and he answered saying it was the United States he meant.
Source: Gerçek News
