The International Press Institute (IPI) and a broad coalition of international human rights defenders today urged Turkey’s government to revoke provisions of the ongoing state of emergency following a failed July coup attempt that violate citizens’ fundamental human rights. At least 25 international groups – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others - [...]
Turkey’s use this week of emergency powers granted in the wake of the July 15 coup attempt to shutter more than 20 media outlets with no discernible relationship to the failed putsch, and calls to extend the state of emergency, again illustrate the need for safeguards to prevent arbitrary use of such power, the [...]
Over the last decade, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have democratised the production and flow of news, allowing any user to play an active role in the news cycle. But that change has not come without a dark side. Increasingly, it has left journalists, citizen reporters and bloggers exposed to abusive [...]
Turkey’s government has issued warrants to detain another 35 people, including journalists, with alleged links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen just two days after authorities detained dozens of Kurdish journalists, reportedly bringing the total number of journalists now held in Turkey to 140. Hürriyet reported that police detained nine of the 35 sought under [...]
The Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) on Thursday gave its 2016 Press Freedom Award for the category of Institution to IPI and a coalition of international organisations that have worked in concert since last year to support journalists in the country and fight an ongoing deterioration in the state of press freedom. The TGC [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned Turkey’s closure of pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem for allegedly spreading propaganda on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), emphasising that reporting on terrorists is not the same as endorsing them. An Istanbul court yesterday ordered the newspaper temporarily suspended, saying that it repeatedly spread PKK [...]
Turkey imprisoned 23 journalists this weekend amid an ongoing purge purportedly targeting those linked to the July 15 coup attempt, while its president, citing the country’s unity in the wake of the failed bid, said he was withdrawing all insult complaints he has filed against detractors. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the one-time gesture was [...]
Turkish authorities today issued warrants to detain* for another 47 journalists, the second wave targeting media amid an ongoing purge by the government following the failed July 15 coup. The warrants target 47 former executives of the Zaman media group, which the government seized in March over its alleged connections to U.S.-based Muslim cleric [...]
Amid an ongoing purge, Turkish authorities today issued 42 warrants to detain* journalists with alleged links to the U.S.-based cleric the government accuses of orchestrating the failed July 15 coup. The AP reported that authorities had detained five of the journalists and that another 31 academics had been taken into custody. Initial reports suggested that [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) today said it was deeply concerned about the future of democracy in Turkey, commenting that a growing crackdown on those accused of links to last weekend’s failed coup attempt risked fully plunging the country into authoritarianism. Parliament yesterday approved a three-month state of emergency giving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan [...]