The International Press Institute (IPI) condemns the attack on February 23 on Turkish columnist Memduh Bayraktaroğlu in apparent retaliation for a tweet about the chairman of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahçeli. IPI calls on Turkish authorities to investigate the attack on Bayraktaroğlu and protect the journalist from any further threats. Bayraktaroğlu’s home was attacked by [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in strongly condemning the murder of Güngör Arslan, the owner and managing editor of the local Ses Kocaeli newspaper in Turkey. On Saturday 19 February, Arslan was attacked in front of his office and shot in the chest and leg. He was taken to hospital, where [...]
The decision by Turkey’s Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK) requesting several international news outlets to file a broadcast license application must not lead to further harassment of media, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. As the regulator has a proven pattern of harassing independent media over critical coverage of the government and its [...]
The IPI global network condemned today a ruling by an appeals court in Turkey upholding sentences against five journalists who allegedly “revealed” the name of a Turkish national intelligence (MIT) officer after reporting on his funeral. In September 2020, the five journalists were sentenced to various prison terms by a local court. Ferhat Çelik; Aydın [...]
The International Press Institute and 26 undersigned human rights and journalists’ organizations call for the immediate release of journalist Sedef Kabaş following her late-night arrest on January 22 and for an end to the judicial harassment of independent media. On January 22, Kabaş was detained during a midnight police raid in Istanbul following critical comments [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) re-publishes the findings of "The Local Media Database Research" conducted by the Media Research Association (MEDAR) in 2021. See the initial findings below. The first census research examining local media in Turkey, "The Local Media Database Research", has been published by the Media Research Association (MEDAR) with the support of the [...]
The year 2021 saw the continued persecution of the free press in Turkey. IPI documented the trials of 241 journalists last year, of whom 28 were convicted. The vast majority of open cases were adjourned into the new year, part of the cycle of never-ending judicial harassment. SEE THE FULL FACTSHEET The International Press Institute [...]
The IPI global network condemns the intimidation and violence used by the Turkish police against two female journalists who were covering a demonstration in Istanbul. Journalists must be free to cover protests in public places. IPI urges Turkish authorities to take immediate steps to end police aggression against journalists and hold those responsible for such [...]
The IPI global network and IPI’s Turkey National Committee call for the immediate release of Turkish journalist and author Sedef Kabaş, who was arrested over the weekend on charges of “insulting the president”. On January 22, Kabaş was detained during a midnight police raid following critical comments she made about Turkish President Erdoğan on a [...]
The IPI global network today condemned threats against Turkish journalist Faik Akgün and the newspaper Günışığı, based in the central Anatolian city of Elazığ, after the newspaper published a report on the suicide of a university student. IPI calls on Turkish authorities to protect Akgün and the newspaper against any threats targeting journalist safety and [...]