Trials of Kurdish journalists share same hallmark violations
By NIMET ÖLMEZ / Reporters held hundreds of miles from trial location, denied right to appear before judge in person
‘Fraudulent’ informant said to have prompted Turkey journalist’s jailing
Türkçesi için tıklayınız. Seda (Seher) Taşkın, a journalist for Turkey’s Mezopotomya News Agency who has been held in pretrial detention for over six months, appeared before a court on July 2, 2018 for the second hearing in a case brought for her news articles and reporting from eastern Turkey. Taşkın was arrested at her [...]
Turkey’s Nedim Türfent: 800 days behind bars
Today marks the 800th day of Turkish-Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent’s incarceration. Türfent, a photojournalist with the now-shuttered Dicle News Agency, was arrested on May 12, 2016 following his journalistic coverage of a Turkish military operation against a group of Kurdish workers. The article in question and the accompanying photographs showed around 50 Kurdish construction [...]
Turkey’s emergency rule leaves devastating legacy
Since the attempted coup of July 16, 2016, civil society and the legal landscape in Turkey have been drastically altered by the issuing of hundreds of so-called “non-governmental decrees” under Turkey’s state of emergency, which ends today. The decrees have severely damaged press freedom in Turkey, ordering the closure of nearly 200 media organizations [...]
Key MEPs join IPI letter to Erdoğan over journalist lists
Türkçesi için tıklayınız The International Press Institute (IPI) and key members of the European Parliament’s cross-party Turkey Forum have signed a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urging him to ensure journalist safety following the publication of two separate lists targeting individual journalists. On June 26, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the nationalist MHP [...]
Assault on press to outlive Turkey’s state of emergency
The state of emergency in Turkey, which has been extended seven times, is scheduled to be lifted on July 18, 2018, almost two years to the day after its initial implementation following an attempted coup that Turkey’s government has blamed on the exiled cleric Fetullah Gülen. While the move would appear to be a [...]
Zaman trial ends with five acquittals and six heavy sentences
Six journalists with Turkey's Zaman newspaper today were given jail sentences of up to 10 years on terror-related charges following a ten-month trial. An additional five defendants in the case were acquitted. The defendants faced a variety of charges based on articles published in Zaman prior to July 2016, including membership of a terrorist organization, [...]
IPI World Congress – Resolution on Turkey
The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 67th annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on June 23, 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution calling on the next Turkish government to free imprisoned journalists, to allow the full exercise of press freedom and to restore [...]
IPI condemns Turkey party leader’s ‘media hate list’
Türkçesi için tıklayınız The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed deep alarm at the appearance today of a “media hate list” published by the leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, in the pro-government newspapers Sabah and Hürriyet. Under the title “A thank you message”, Bahçeli “thanks” the 70 names that appear [...]
VIDEO: IPI urges political parties to prioritise media freedom in Turkey ahead of election
The letter from IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi calling on the parties to commit to the following actions should they form part of the government: – Free all journalists imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression and drop all charges against them – Promote freedom of the press, independent journalism and respect [...]