The Turkish government’s crackdown on independent media poses serious risks to democracy and stability, journalists from the country told a Vienna audience today at an International Press Institute (IPI) event examining media freedom in Turkey ahead of an April constitutional referendum that could vest even greater power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

At a panel discussion and solidarity event titled “Turkey’s Media Under Siege”, celebrated media lawyer Fikret Ilkiz and acclaimed journalists Zeynep Erdim, Fehim Işik and Mehveş Evin discussed current threats and challenges to journalism and freedom of expression in Turkey, as well as the potential impact of international solidarity and pressure by NGOs, governments and the EU.