Democracy News

Press Freedom Curtailed in Turkey
March 24, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

The issue of press freedom in Turkey has come under international scrutiny following the March 3 arrest and jailing of three prominent journalists critical of the government. Human rights groups claim that more than 50 journalists are currently in jail for their reporting. The Turkish government argues it needs a “tight press control” because it is facing threats of terrorism and attempts to topple Turkish democracy.

The detained journalists include Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener, who are known for their critical reporting on the Turkish criminal justice system and police. Sener works for the daily newspaper Milliyet, and Sik is the co-author of a book about the Ergenekon investigation and trials. According to Reporters Without Borders, the Turkish policed seized and destroyed all known copies of an unpublished draft copy of a book written by Sik. His work which explores the relationship between the police and the Islamic “Gülen Movement,” is said to contain revelations about the Ergenekon antiterrorist trial, which has tainted Turkish political life for years. Turkish authorities have stated that the arrests are part of an investigation into an alleged plot by Ergenekon, a murky ultra-nationalist group, to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan's government.

According to the Economist, chief prosecutor Zekeriya Oz stated that the pair were arrested not because of their reporting but because of “other activities” that he was, for the time being, “unable to reveal.”

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva that, “If there are genuine reasons to suppose that any journalists have committed crimes outside the scope of their journalistic work, then those reasons should be transparent to the journalists themselves, to their defense lawyers and to the rest of us…Otherwise, inevitably, suspicions will continue to mount that these arrests are politically motivated.”

According to Turkish news outlet Hurriyet, the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, voiced concerns about the state of press freedom in Turkey in the wake of recent arrests. "There exists a stated policy of support for a free press. On the other hand, journalists are put under detention. We are trying to make sense of this," Ricciardone stated.

In response to Ricciardone’s remarks, Erdoğan called the new American ambassador a “rookie.” “He does not know Turkey, he does not have any idea which laws there are, and then he walks into a trap and makes a statement,” Erdoğan stated according to Hurriyet. Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that it was not appropriate for an ambassador to pass judgment on an ongoing criminal investigation.

United States Department of State spokesman Philip Crowley said the Department “stands by the ambassador’s statement,” and added, “We do have broad concerns about trends involving intimidation of journalists in Turkey, and we have raised that directly with the Turkish government and we’ll continue to do so.”

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović declared her concern stating that, “This violates basic OSCE media freedom commitments. It targets and suppresses differing and critical voices and clearly illustrates the need for Turkey to reform its media laws.” Furthermore she called on the Turkish authorities to “stop intimidating and threatening journalists.”

The New York Times reports that thousands of people marched in central Istanbul to protest a crackdown on the press. Protesters chanted slogans like “Don’t remain silent; the next might be you if you remain silent,” “Ahmet and Nedim are our people of honor,” and “Free press, free society.” Turkey is ranked 138th out of 178 countries in the annual World Press Freedom Index published by the Paris-based advocacy group Reporters Without Borders.

For previous news on Turkey, please see:
Turkey Approves Constitutional Referendum

Sources:
UN News Centre – UN rights office calls on Turkey to ensure press freedom after journalists’ arrest

OSCE Press Release – OSCE Media Representative Concerned about Unprecedented Persecution of Journalists in Turkey

New York Times – In Turkey, Thousands Protest a Crackdown on Press Freedom

Economist – A dangerous place to be a journalist

Hurriyet – Turkish PM calls US envoy a 'rookie' ambassador