At least 4 journalists formally arrested, 1 more detained ahead of Turkey elections
Istanbul, April 28, 2023 — Turkish authorities should immediately release all journalists and media workers imprisoned for their work and stop interfering with the press ahead of the country’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, April 25, authorities in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır detained at…
Turkish police detain at least 9 journalists in Diyarbakır crackdown
Istanbul, April 25, 2023—Turkish authorities should release all recently detained journalists held in retaliation for their work and ensure that the country’s anti-terror laws are not weaponized against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. In the early hours of Tuesday, April 25, authorities in 21 cities throughout the southeastern province of Diyarbakır…
Turkish courts find 2 journalists guilty on terror charges
Istanbul, April 18, 2023—In response to Turkish authorities’ sentencing of two journalists on charges of spreading terrorist propaganda Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “By issuing prison sentences to Mehmet Güleş and İsmail Çoban, Turkish authorities have yet again abused the country’s anti-terror legislation,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey…
Turkey charges 17 Kurdish journalists, media worker with membership in a terrorist organization
Istanbul, April 14, 2023 – Turkish authorities must immediately release all imprisoned members of the press and stop prosecuting journalists who cover Kurdish issues, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, April 12, the 4th Court of Serious Crimes in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır charged 17 Kurdish journalists and a media worker…
Turkey indicts 10 journalists on terrorism charges
Istanbul, February 21, 2023 – Turkish authorities must stop charging members of the press with terrorism and release all jailed journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 8, the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office indicted 10 Kurdish journalists, nine of whom have been under pretrial arrest since late October, on the charge of…
Journalists covering Turkey earthquake detained and harassed
Istanbul, February 14, 2023 — Turkish authorities must ensure journalists can cover the aftermath of the recent earthquake freely and safely, and should drop investigations into any members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and parts of Syria on February 6, killing tens…
Forensic tools open new front for using phone data to prosecute journalists
On April 13, police in Russia’s Khakassiya republic arrested Mikhail Afanasyev and seized his digital devices. Afanasyev, chief editor of the online magazine Novy Fokus, was detained based on an article about riot police in southern Siberia refusing to serve in Ukraine. He faces a possible 10-year prison sentence for spreading “false” information. It’s not surprising for…
At least 11 journalists in custody after police raids in Turkey
Istanbul, October 25, 2022—Turkish authorities should immediately release the Kurdish journalists in police custody and stop harassing them with secret investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. Early Tuesday morning, Turkish police simultaneously raided several homes and one newsroom in the cities of Ankara, Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Mardin, Urfa, and Van, as part of…
Turkey’s legal year begins with new terrorism charges, convictions for journalists
In the first week of the legal year when courts open, Turkish courts convicted two journalists on terrorism charges, brought new terrorism charges against two others, and rejected an appeal for the release of 15 journalists and one media worker, who have been in pretrial detention for nearly three months. On Wednesday, September 7, 2022,…
15 journalists, media worker jailed under pre-trial arrest in Turkey
Istanbul, June 16, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release the 15 journalists and one media worker still being held after last week’s mass detention of 19 journalists, two media workers, and one source for allegedly being members of a terrorist organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. A Turkish court in the southeastern…