Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has strongly condemned Israel for its recent actions targeting media personnel, calling the attacks "barbaric" and a "heinous assault on the freedom of the press”.
In a statement on Monday, Altun denounced Israel’s strike on Iranian state TV, where journalists and civilians were reportedly killed.
"Israel's attack on the official news agency IRNA, targeting journalists and civilians, is an outright massacre. Attacking journalists and media personnel is barbaric," he said in a post on X.
Altun expressed his condolences to the Iranian journalists killed and accused the Israeli government of having lost its legitimacy as a state due to its repeated violations of international norms.
“We call on the international community to take action against Israel's aggression and reckless behaviour that is setting the region ablaze,” he added.
‘Lawless actions’
In a separate statement, Altun also condemned the Israeli police for disrupting the live broadcast of TRT Arabi correspondent Fehmi Shtewe and his team in the northern city of Haifa.
He said the team’s equipment was confiscated and that journalists from both TRT Arabi and Egypt’s Alghad TV were subjected to violence.
"The Israeli government, unfortunately, continues its lawless actions directed against the journalists who cry out to all humanity about the massacres it has committed," Altun said.
"This is the latest manifestation of this insanity."
Highlighting what he described as the West’s complicit silence, Altun criticised the lack of response from international institutions that often champion democratic values.
"We leave it to global public opinion to judge the silence of the West and its 'democratic' institutions regarding these violations, particularly if and when Israel is the perpetrator,” he said.
Altun concluded by reaffirming Türkiye’s commitment to defending press freedom and the rights of media professionals: “We will continue to be ardent followers and proponents of freedom of expression, the freedom to receive information, and the rights of media professionals.”
