Fethullah Gülen Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

Mehmet Altan, pictured with his wife Umit Altan, after his release from prison in June. A court of appeals in October upheld a life sentence without patrol for Altan, his brother Ahmet, and fellow Turkish journalists Nazlı Ilıcak and Fevzi Yazıcı. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

Turkish court upholds life sentences without parole for four journalists

October 3, 2018 3:25 PM EDT

Istanbul, October 3, 2018–An Istanbul court of appeals yesterday upheld the sentences of life in prison without parole handed to four prominent Turkish journalists in February, media reported. Mehmet Altan, his brother Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak, and Fevzi Yazıcı were convicted of having links to the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey accuses of being…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets supporters in Ankara, Turkey, on June 25, 2018. A Turkish court handed heavy sentences to six journalists on July 6. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Turkish court hands heavy sentences to Zaman journalists

July 6, 2018 3:38 PM EDT

New York, July 6, 2018–Turkish authorities should drop all charges against six journalists who worked for the now-shuttered Zaman daily newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalists were found guilty today by a court in Istanbul and handed heavy prison sentences, BBC Türkçe and the daily Cumhuriyet reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens to French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on January 5, 2018. Erdogan is in Paris for talks with Macron amid protests over press freedom and the deteriorating state of human rights in Turkey. (Pool via AP/Yasin Bulbul)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 8, 2018

January 11, 2018 3:43 PM EST

Court rules journalists should be released, but they remain in custody Turkey’s Constitutional Court on January 11 ruled that local courts should release from pre-trial detention Şahin Alpay, a former columnist for the shuttered daily Zaman, and Mehmet Altan, a former host for the shuttered Can Erzincan TV and columnist for the shuttered daily Özgür…

Members of the media cover a protest outside an Istanbul court during the trial of about a dozen newspaper employees on October 31, 2017. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 26, 2017

November 30, 2017 3:47 PM EST

Journalists prosecuted An Istanbul court on November 25 charged freelance photojournalist Çağdaş Erdoğan with being member of and making propaganda for a “terrorist organization,” the daily Evrensel reported.

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cheer as he addresses parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 7, 2017. Turkish authorities, under Erdogan's leadership, began a wide-reaching crackdown after a failed attempted coup in June 2016. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 5, 2017

November 9, 2017 5:42 PM EST

Journalists arrested A Turkish court on November 9 arrested Nuh Gönültaş, a columnist for the shuttered daily Bugün, Behram Kılıç, a sports reporter for the now-shuttered daily Zaman, and Mehmet Gündem, who formerly worked for Zaman and pro-government outlets including the state-run broadcaster TRT, according to the English-language news site Turkish Minute.

A press freedom activist holds a copy of the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet during a demonstration in solidarity with the jailed members of the opposition newspaper outside a courthouse, in Istanbul on September 25. (Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 24, 2017

September 25, 2017 10:32 AM EDT

Spain releases Turkish journalist arrested on Ankara’s request Spanish authorities yesterday released the leftist writer Hamza Yalçın, who they had arrested in August at the request of the Turkish government, according to the daily Evrensel.

Protesters in Silivri, Turkey demonstrate in support of journalists and staff from the Cumhuriyet newspaper who Turkish officials have accused of aiding terror organizations. Their trial is part of a larger media crackdown under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 10, 2017

September 11, 2017 11:21 AM EDT

Court orders four Cumhuriyet managers and journalists to remain in custody for trial A Turkish court remanded four members of the Cumhuriyet newspaper yesterday who are on trial for terrorism-related charges, according to reports from their employer and Reuters.

Turkish authorities raid independent media company

September 2, 2015 4:57 PM EDT

New York, September 2, 2015–Turkish police on Tuesday raided the offices of a media group, in what one editor called an attempt to silence opposition media ahead of November parliamentary elections, according to news reports. The move follows terrorism charges leveled against VICE News journalists who have been detained while reporting from the predominantly Kurdish…

CPJ calls on Turkish government to reverse anti-press measures

February 9, 2015 12:21 PM EST

Dear Prime Minister Davutoğlu: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to express alarm at a fresh wave of anti-press actions in Turkey and to ask that you use the power of your office to reverse the measures.

Turkish authorities target media in nationwide crackdown

December 14, 2014 1:07 PM EST

New York, December 14, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s raids on media outlets in which police detained journalists and media workers on politicized anti-state charges. Among those detained today were Ekrem Dumanlı, editor-in-chief of Zaman, one of Turkey’s largest dailies, and Hidayet Karaca, chairman of the Samanyolu Broadcast Group, reports said.