• Over 120 journalists remain in jail in Turkey
• Over 100 terror-related investigations opened since Turkey’s incursion into Syria
• Fair trial principles routinely breached
• New efforts to stifle online media
• Is the judicial reform strategy a sham or an opportunity?
The International Press Institute (IPI) recently led a press freedom mission to Turkey, where over 120 journalists are currently jailed and hundreds more face prosecution as part of the clampdown on media freedom that followed the failed military coup of July 2016. A central concern of highlighted during the mission is the systemic failure of the judicial system to provide justice to those caught up in the post-coup backlash and charged with terrorism offences. The Turkish government has responded to widespread criticism of a cowed and compromised judiciary by introducing a judicial reform package that, in the mission’s view, fails to sufficiently address the central obstacles to justice and the right to free expression.
The main findings and recommendations of the press freedom mission, as highlighted in the mission report (pdf file) , will be discussed by representatives of IPI, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) at a press conference on November 29, at the TGS Akademi in Istanbul at 10:00 am. The press conference will be held in English.
The mission report was launched on November 18 in Brussels.
Speakers include:
Kadri Gürsel, Head of IPI Turkey Committee and IPI Executive Board Member
Oliver Money-Kyrle, Programme Manager, International Press Institute (IPI)
Erol Önderoğlu, Turkey Representative, Reporters without Borders (RSF)
Marta Barcenilla, Vice President, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
