65 Anadolu Agency journalists attacked since 2012

At least 65 Anadolu Agency (AA) journalists have been hurt after coming under physical attacks in the line of duty since 2012, report said. AA correspondents serving in the four corners of the world encountered various physical assaults during exercising their efforts to conduct impartial and active journalism. 2013 marked an exceptional year, especially for reporters working in Egypt. As the security forces launched a series of violent crackdowns on pro-democracy activists demonstrating against the ousting of the country’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, the AA teams on the field did not refrain from following the developments closely. As a result, a wide range of means including plastic bullet and lead shot hits, almost all executed by security forces, wounded 39 AA journalists. AA teams in Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Greece and Morocco also encountered physical violence since 2012. In Turkey, most of the incidents in which AA reporters got hurt happened during last month’s Gezi Park protests, the mass anti-government demonstrations triggered at the end of May when protesters gathered to prevent a demolition at the city center. Total number of AA reporters who came under attack in 2013 was 15.