Turkish court sentences 4 former Taraf journalists to prison for exposing state secrets
Istanbul, March 7, 2022 – Turkish authorities should drop all charges against former staff members of the shuttered liberal daily Taraf and should free journalist Mehmet Baransu immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, March 4, the 13th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes convicted four former Taraf employees on national security charges,…
Turkish journalist Güngör Arslan killed
Istanbul, February 19, 2022 – On Saturday, Turkish journalist Güngör Arslan, publisher and news editor of local news site Ses Kocaeli, died in a hospital in the western province of Kocaeli after he was shot by an assailant in the chest and right leg inside his office in the city of Izmit, according to news reports. In a statement the…
Members of Turkish regulator say DW, VOA, Euronews face website blocks over licensing decision
Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – Turkish authorities must allow all news outlets to work freely, and should not use licensing regulations to harass or censor international outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Wednesday. On Wednesday, February 9, two members of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, the government telecommunications regulator known as RTÜK, announced…
Turkish President Erdoğan sues recently arrested journalist Sedef Kabaş
Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – In response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s civil lawsuit seeking damages from journalist Sedef Kabaş and TELE1 television board chair Fırat Sakar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the complaint to be dropped. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should drop his civil suit against imprisoned…
CPJ joins call for Turkey to release journalist Sedef Kabaş
On February 1, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and 25 other international groups in a joint letter calling for Turkish authorities to release journalist Sedef Kabaş immediately. Authorities detained Kabaş, a freelance journalist and former television anchor, on January 22 for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an appearance…
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş arrested for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan
Istanbul, January 25, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sedef Kabaş, drop the charge of “insulting the president,” and cancel the fine and ban imposed on TELE1 TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 22, 2022, an Istanbul court charged Turkish freelance journalist Sedef Kabaş with insulting President Recep Tayyip…
Turkish journalist Rojhat Doğru sentenced to life in prison
Istanbul, January 10, 2022 – Turkish authorities should not contest journalist Rojhat Doğru’s appeal, and should cease sentencing members of the press to lengthy jail terms for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 6, the Eighth Diyarbakır Court of Serious Crimes sentenced Doğru, a Turkey-based camera operator who covered conflict…
Turkish court issues suspended prison term to journalist Nazan Sala
Istanbul, January 7, 2022 – Turkish authorities should vacate the suspended prison term issued to journalist Nazan Sala and stop harassing reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Fifth Van Court of Serious Crimes convicted Sala, a freelance reporter, of making propaganda for a terrorist organization and issued her…
How social media regulation could affect the press
The United Kingdom moved a step closer to regulating social media in December when a parliamentary committee recommended major changes to the country’s Online Safety Bill so as to hold internet service providers responsible for material published on their platforms. “We need to call time on the Wild West online,” said committee chair Damian Collins….
Turkish court issues suspended prison terms to 5 over reporting on leaked emails
Istanbul, January 4, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a Turkish court’s recent sentencing of four journalists and one media worker to suspended prison terms relating to the 2016 coverage of the president’s son-in-law’s leaked emails. On December 31, 2021, the 29th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes convicted the five of “illegally…