Turkey / Europe & Central Asia

New York, November 4, 2021 — Turkish authorities should immediately release Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa, end deportation proceedings against him, and allow him to do his job freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At 1:30 a.m. on October 30, police arrested Shamaa, a reporter for the Dubai-based broadcaster Orient TV, at…

CPJ joined PEN International, the International Press Institute, the Media and Law Studies Association, and 50 other Turkish and international groups in a statement today calling for Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned journalist Nedim Türfent, a former reporter for the shuttered pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DİHA) on the 2,000th day of his…

CPJ’s recent press freedom mission in Turkey got off to a disappointing start. International organizations led by the International Press Institute, and including Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, a think tank focused on seven European countries, gathered in Ankara and Istanbul to discuss our concerns about possible updates to…

In late August and early September 2021, Turkish Deputy Health Minister Selahattin Aydın filed civil defamation lawsuits against the leftist opposition dailies Cumhuriyet, BirGün, and Evrensel seeking damages over their coverage of corruption allegations made against him in the country’s parliament, according to reports by the independent news website Bianet and by each outlet targeted…

Istanbul, September 22, 2021 – Turkish authorities should not contest the appeals of five journalists recently sentenced to prison for their alleged involvement with a banned group, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Second Antalya Court of Serious Crimes convicted Cihat Ünal, Ömer Özdemir, Serhat Şeftali, Olgun Matur, and Osman Yakut on…

Istanbul, August 19, 2021 — Turkish authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate the death of journalist Aydın Taş, the Committee to Protect journalists said today. On August 8, police officers found Taş’ body at the Ankara office of the Crimean News Agency (QHA), a Turkish nationalist news agency where he worked as the Turkey director,…

On August 1, 2021 a mob in Istanbul attacked at least six journalists covering a march against the killing of seven members of a Turkish family of Kurdish origin, while also attacking the protesters, according to news reports. The police detained at least two journalists but none of the alleged attackers, the reports said. Derya…

Istanbul, August 12, 2021 – Turkish authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the attack on political commentator Emre Erciş and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This afternoon, an unidentified attacker shot Erciş in his foot and leg while he was walking in Istanbul’s Fatih district…

On July 23, 2021, lifeguards at a beach in Istanbul beat reporter Çağdaş Evren Şenlik and cameraman Ayhan Arıtürk from the pro-government A Haber news television and damaged their equipment, according to reports and videos from their employer and other pro-government outlets. Şenlik and Artürk were there to report on drownings at beaches in Şile…

Istanbul, July 21, 2021 – Turkish authorities must ensure that journalists can cover political events without being harassed or attacked by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, police in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district disrupted a political march commemorating the victims of the 2015 Suruç bombing and shoved, hit, and fired tear gas and…