Turkish court to hear criminal charges against five journalists
Istanbul, Turkey, February 6, 2006—Five prominent Turkish journalists are due to appear in court on Tuesday on charges of insulting the judiciary for criticizing a court decision to ban an academic conference on the killing of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The case has embarrassed Turkey, which is in negotiations to…
Turkish journalists face trial despite dropping of charges against author
New York, January 24, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the dropping of charges of “insulting Turkishness” against an acclaimed author but is appalled that journalists still face jail under the same draconian statute. A court in Istanbul dismissed Monday the prosecution under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code of novelist Orhan Pamuk who…
Journalists face criminal prosecution
New York, December 14, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the recent prosecution of journalists under laws that criminalize comment about the Turkish state, its institutions, and history. In the past three months, the authorities have used the catch-all provisions of Article 301 of the penal code to stifle writing about the massacres…
Journalist convicted on charge of insulting Turkish identity’
New York, October 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the conviction of a Turkish-Armenian journalist on a charge of “insulting and weakening Turkish identity through the media” An Istanbul court on Friday sentenced Hrant Dink, 52, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, to a six-month suspended term. Dink and his lawyer, Fethiye Cetin,…
TURKEY
OCTOBER 7, 2005 Posted October 18, 2005 Hrant Dink, Agos LEGAL ACTION A Turkish-Armenian journalist was convicted of “insulting and weakening Turkish identity through the media” An Istanbul court sentenced Dink, 52, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, to a six-month suspended term. Dink and his lawyer, Fethiye Cetin, said they appeal.
Attacks on the Press 2004: Middle East and North Africa Analysis
OverviewBy Joel Campagna The conflict in Iraq led to a harrowing number of press attacks in 2004, with local journalists and media support workers primarily in the line of fire. Twenty-three journalists and 16 support staff—drivers, interpreters, fixers, and guards—were killed while on the job in Iraq in 2004. In all, 36 journalists and 18…
Attacks on the Press 2004: Turkey
TurkeyThe European Union’s long-awaited decision in December to begin formal talks to admit Turkey would have been impossible without legislative reforms made in recent years, including several aimed at expanding freedom of expression. A new Penal Code set to take effect in 2005 codifies a number of recent press reforms. Notably, it limits the definition…
Journalists Killed in the Last Ten Years
The Toll: 1995-2004 Each year in January, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) publishes a list of journalists killed in the line of duty around the world. This list has become the most widely cited press freedom statistic and is often seen as a barometer of the state of global press freedom. While the correlation…