Turkey - Articles
A Turkish court this week sentenced a man to life in prison for inciting the murder of prominent ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink five years ago, but cleared all 19 suspects of belonging to a terrorist organisation, reports IFEX member in Turkey the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), along with other IFEX members.
At least 25 journalists were among more than 40 people arrested in a nationwide sweep in Turkey yesterday, allegedly for having links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The arrests bring the number of journalists in Turkish jails to more than 90, making Turkey one of the world's worst for detaining journalists, says BIANET.
As the trial began for 10 journalists accused of an anti-government conspiracy, free expression organisations visited Turkey to witness the case and investigate the deteriorating state of press freedom, which has led to a total of 64 imprisoned journalists, say IFEX members.
A professor and a well-known publisher and his son were arrested as part of a recent crackdown on dissent and free speech, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR) and other IFEX members. Around 50 people have been detained in the past week.
Thousands of people protested in Turkey on 4 March calling for an end to the repression of Turkish journalists in reaction to last week's detention of at least nine journalists and writers for their alleged links to the "Ergenekon" coup plots, report local IFEX members IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and the Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR), as well as other IFEX members.
Turkey continues to use jail sentences to silence Kurds, handing down an outlandish prison sentence of 138 years to the former editorial manager of Turkey's only Kurdish daily on charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK", the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, report IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Despite the Turkish Prime Minister's renewed interest in a permanent peace with the country's Kurdish population, anyone who speaks out on behalf of the ethnic minority continues to be faced with incredible jail sentences, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and other news sources.
A Russian editor who has valiantly addressed the conflicts in the Caucasus - despite a recent kidnapping attempt - is this year's winner of the International Publisher Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Prize. Israpil Shovkhalov, editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine "Dosh", won the 2010 prize for his "exemplary courage in upholding freedom to publish." A special award will also go to Turkish publisher Irfan Sanci.
The Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) has honoured IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) with a Prize for Press Freedom for "its work in the field of alternative and rights-based journalism and for its efforts in the fields of developing democracy, the right to be informed and establishing greater awareness among the public." BIANET used the opportunity to emphasise that the number of Turkish people facing sanctions under the Anti-Terror Law is rising every day, adding that 45 journalists are currently detained under allegations of having committed crimes on behalf of an illegal organisation in the scope of their journalistic work.
Turkish Internet law permits authorities to block access to thousands of websites. After blocking access to YouTube in 2008, the Turkish government recently shut down 44 IP addresses that offered alternative ways to access the Google-owned video-sharing website, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In response, two thousand people took to the street in protest against Internet restrictions.
Critical journalists, writers and opposition voices in Turkey are being gagged by a barrage of threats. They are facing long prison sentences simply for reporting on any content linked to the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), say the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and other IFEX members. Free expression and press freedom violations also include speaking the Kurdish language, carrying out investigative reports critical of private sector companies, and anti-terror laws used to imprison journalists. But amid all the violations, a prominent publisher and an author were acquitted in separate cases.
In the aftermath of Israel's raid on the flotilla delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on 31 May, journalists released from custody are providing first-hand accounts of abuse, interrogation and confiscation of equipment by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). One journalist was killed in the deadly attack. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have edited and distributed portions of video footage taken from foreign journalists.
A Turkish newspaper editor accused of being a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was sentenced to 166 years and six months in prison on 13 May, and charged with spreading PKK propaganda, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He had been facing an equally absurd 525 years in prison. The disturbing sentence comes on the heels of a new BIANET media monitoring report, which reveals that 216 people, including 69 journalists, were tried in free expression-related cases during the first three months of 2010.
A Turkish newspaper editor accused of spreading propaganda for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was hit with a prison sentence on 2 March that is close to 11 years, reports the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET). He and another journalist were also charged for writing critically about public officials. Meanwhile, another editor is facing a 525-year prison sentence for publishing information about the PKK, reports the International Press Institute (IPI). And even outside its borders, Turkish authorities wield influence in curbing press freedom, says BIANET.
A Kurdish editor was sentenced to over 21 years in prison on 9 February by a Turkish court for publishing reports and pictures of the banned Turkey Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), report the Istanbul-based IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
A Turkish editor was gunned down last week after leaving his office, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and the International Press Institute (IPI). The editor had already received several death threats related to his coverage of local corruption.
Leyla Zana, a well-known political spokesperson for Kurds in Turkey, was sentenced to 10 years in jail last December for violating the penal code and the anti-terror law in nine different speeches. She is accused of having supported the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and spreading propaganda. IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) is asking you to join some of Turkey's highest profile activists and sign a petition for her release.
A 15-year-old boy will spend more than three years in prison for taking part in a protest organised by the Kurdish militant group the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Turkish court ruled last month. He's just one of the dozens of children who has been tried or sentenced under anti-terrorism laws, report IFEX members in Turkey the Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR) and IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET).
Website owners and users in Turkey got so fed up with Internet censorship that they censored themselves in protest in August. IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) reported that 412
A Turkish publisher who refused to abandon his campaign for freedom of thought - despite being given a three-year jail sentence - is this year's winner of the International Publishers' Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Prize.
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