The countless criminal complaints and lawsuits against Turkish journalists stand as a testament to the absurdity of the press freedom situation in the country. Since its establishment in July 2018, the Presidential Communications Directorate has stood out as one of the most determined pursuers of journalism in court, targeting reports critical of President Erdoğan and [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) today reiterated its call on Turkish authorities to release journalists from prison who were excluded from the most recent parole law passed in April. The parole law enabled the immediate release of up to 90,000 inmates in order to relieve overcrowded prisons during the pandemic. Journalists and other political prisoners [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned the temporary broadcast ban on Halk TV imposed by the Turkish Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK) over the station’s critical coverage and called for an end to the harassment of media in Turkey. On Thursday, Halk TV, a prominent channel independent of the Turkish government’s control, was [...]
Missed the event? Watch the video recording • At least 90 journalists remain in jail in Turkey • A new parole law excluded jailed journalists and politicians from release, risking lives of hundreds amid COVID-19 • All judicial proceedings suspended in April due to pandemic • New efforts to stifle print and online media coverage [...]
On April 14, after a week of parliamentary debate, the Turkish government passed a new “criminal enforcement” law that is expected to see up to 90,000 inmates released in order to relieve overcrowded prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an International Press Institute (IPI) review of the law shows that it excludes prisoners sentenced for [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) joins today 23 other international press freedom and freedom of expression groups to call on Turkish authorities to release all journalists and those who were arbitrarily detained as part of the new bill to release prisoners on parole amid COVID-19 pandemic. See the joint statement below. In the early hours [...]
By RUŞEN ÇAKIR / IPI Member and Medyascope editor Ruşen Çakır on journalism and press freedom amid COVID-19
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today demanded that imprisoned journalists not be excluded from the Turkish government’s plan to release thousands of prisoners as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 24, the ruling coalition AKP and MHP submitted [...]
This is the last in a series of four articles exploring the role of the European Court of Human Rights in defending media freedom in Turkey. In this final report, IPI speaks to leading Turkish lawyer Tora Pekin about his role is taking the Cumhuriyet journalists’ cases to the European Court of [...]
In a letter addressed to Rıdvan Duran, the general director of the Public Advertising Agency (BİK), the authority in Turkey responsible for the distribution of state advertising, ten members of the European Parliament called for the immediate end to the public advertising ban that has been imposed on the independent newspaper Evrensel since September 2019. [...]