We condemn our member Ans Boersma’s deportation from Turkey

TURKEY, ISTANBUL, January 17, 2019 — We condemn the detention and deportation of Dutch journalist Johanna Cornelia Boersma, who also goes by Ans Boersma.

She was detained on January 16, at the Bakirkoy Ikametgah office, and subsequently deported early morning on January 17.

Boersma serves as the Economy Editor at Het Financieele Dagblad, a leading financial paper in the Netherlands. She is also a member of the Coalition For Women In Journalism, and a former fellow of the mentorship program. Ans has been largely covering economic beat and occasionally humanitarian stories in the country. The journalist had acquired her Turkish press card just a week ago, and had been actively working in Turkey since early 2017.

Our director, Kiran Nazish, who was there with Ans during the detention to aid with legal help and co-ordination says, “After thoroughly going through the documents and coordinating with the police, it seems that the reason of Ans’s deportation has no solid grounds. This incident has disrupted her ability to work in a country Ans dearly cares about and has worked thoroughly to gain expertise and connections in.”

She adds, “During the time I have mentored Ans, I have seen her work extra hard to learn about the economic difficulties the country faces. I believe her reporting on this has contributed to a better understanding and kinder perspective about the country.”

She was stopped by Turkish police early morning on Wednesday. At the time, she was visiting the Immigration Service to get her residence permit extended. She was told that she was being expelled from the country for security reasons; however, no further details were given by the authorities. The Coalition For Women In Journalism believes that she was unfairly arrested and deported and the Turkish authorities should reveal more information with the press.

“I’ve been working with Ans as a fixer and a translator for more than a year. She’s very sweet, and she’s very careful about what she writes. She always cares about the facts, she never writes manipulative stuff,” said Hilal Sari, a local financial journalist who has worked closely with Ans.

“I don’t think anyone could say anything negative about her. It is scary that a journalist can be deported without any clarified reason.”

We ask that the circumstances of Boersma’s deportation be investigated by both the Dutch and Turkish authorities, with complete transparency. If no evidence of wrongdoing is found, we demand that the authorities return her swiftly and safe her place of work, and her current residence — Istanbul.

Boersma serves as the Economy Editor at Het Financieele Dagblad, a leading financial paper in the Netherlands. She is also a member of the Coalition For Women In Journalism, and a former fellow of the mentorship program. Ans has been largely covering economic beat and occasionally humanitarian stories in the country.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ.

Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org