Turkish government official sues 3 newspapers for covering corruption allegations made in parliament
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…
Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive
On April 1 this year, press freedom groups in Turkey chalked up a small win when the nation’s top administrative court, the Council of State, suspended 2018 rules that made it easier for the authorities to cancel or refuse press cards. The changes had transferred authority over press cards to the presidency and barred them…
Turkish courts pursue trials, asset seizures in multiple cases against journalists
October 22, 2020, Istanbul – Turkey must stop harassing journalists and prosecuting them on trumped up charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a court Istanbul rejected an appeal by exiled journalist Can Dündar, thereby allowing authorities to seize his assets in Turkey, the news website Duvar English reported. Today, another Istanbul court…
Turkey threatens to seize assets of exiled journalist Can Dündar
Istanbul, September 17, 2020 – An Istanbul court today announced that Can Dündar, an exiled Turkish journalist living in Germany, would be declared a fugitive and his assets would be seized unless he returns to the country within 15 days, according to news reports. “Journalist Can Dündar has already paid a high price for his…
Turkish authorities cancel press passes for hundreds of journalists
Istanbul, January 24, 2020 — Turkish authorities should restore the recently cancelled press cards of hundreds of reporters, and establish a transparent and impartial process for obtaining press passes, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Press freedom situation in Turkey remains highly restrictive, despite some room for very cautious optimism, joint mission finds
This week, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined an international press freedom mission to Turkey that met with journalists, civil society, diplomats, the judiciary, and government officials. The visiting delegation voiced concern about the continued crackdown on journalists in the country and the need for the authorities to protect a free press, address inconsistencies and…
Five staffers of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper released from jail
Istanbul, September 12, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a decision by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals to overturn a verdict by a lower court and release five former staffers of the Cumhuriyet newspaper who have been imprisoned since April.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 16, 2019
Journalist turns himself in, released the same day Yavuz Selim Demirağ, a columnist for the nationalist daily Yeni Çağ who was attacked by a group of men who beat him with baseball bats in May, was released from prison under judicial control around midnight the day he turned himself in, Deutsche Welle reported on June…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 9, 2019
Journalist in jail for insulting presidentOn June 13, Yavuz Selim Demirağ, a columnist for the nationalist daily Yeni Çağ, started an 11-month and 20-day prison sentence for “insulting the president,” according to his column published the same day. The column featured an update from the newspaper that said that the journalist had turned himself and…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of May 26, 2019
More journalists beaten in Turkey On May 25, three men beat Selahattin Önkibar, a columnist for the ultranationalist opposition news website Odatv, near his house in Ankara, the leftist daily Evrensel reported. Önkibar is the fifth journalist to be attacked in Turkey this month, in apparent retaliation for their work, CPJ has found.