Mezopotamya News Agency

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People hold Turkish flags during a ceremony marking the 96th anniversary of Victory Day, commemorating a decisive battle in the Turkish War of Independence, in Ankara on August 30, 2018. (AFP/Adem Altan)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 3, 2018

Journalists in court The prosecutor in the trial of imprisoned journalist Nazlı Ilıcak, who is charged with “revealing information regarding state security that is supposed to be secret for espionage proposes,” asked the 26th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes for a life sentence, the daily Evrensel reported on September 6. Ilıcak attended the hearing via…

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A man shops at the gallery on August 16, 2018 near the Istiklal avenue, at Beyoglu district, in Istanbul. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of August 13, 2018

Capital Markets Board issues warning on coverage of financial markets The Turkish Capital Markets Board (SPK) said in a statement that Article 107 of the Law no. 6362 on “market fraud” will be used against those who “spread fabricated, false and fallacious news about the economy,” independent news website Bianet reported on August 13. The…

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People relax near Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey on April 4, 2018. An Istanbul court convicted in a retrial Hasan Cemal, a veteran journalist and a columnist for the news website T24, on charges of "making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization," according to news reports. (Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 2, 2018

Journalists sentenced An Istanbul court convicted in a retrial Hasan Cemal, a veteran journalist and a columnist for the news website T24, on charges of “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization,” and issued a suspended sentence of 18 months and 22 days, according to an April 3 report from the daily Cumhuriyet.

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People take souvenir photos along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey in February 2018. Turkey continues to crackdown on the press; a Turkish court sentenced four journalists to life without parole on February 16, 2018, on charges relating to their journalistic activity. (Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of February 19, 2018

Journalists acquitted, released Turkish authorities on February 17 released from jail Deniz Yücel, Turkey correspondent for the German newspaper Die Welt, who had been imprisoned for a year pending investigation, according to Reuters. A Turkish court on the same day also indicted Yücel on charges of “propagandizing for a [terrorist] organization” and “provoking the people…

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People reflected on glass with Turkish a flag at a bus station in Istanbul in July 2016. A proposed bill presented to Turkey's parliament on February 2 would force online broadcasters, including YouTube and Netflix Turkey, to be licensed and regulated by the federal TV and radio watchdog group RTÜK, according to local reports. (AP/Petros Karadjias)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of February 5, 2018

Journalists detained Istanbul police on February 1 detained Ali Sönmez Kayar, a reporter for the socialist Etkin News Agency (ETHA), according to his employer’s tweet. A local court ordered Kayar to be held in custody pending investigation, on February 6, ETHA reported without providing further details.

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A Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighter stands guard on top of a building in Sawran village, Syria on February 1, 2018. Turkish authorities have arrested at least 300 people, including journalists, who have made critical comments about Turkey's incursion into Syria. (Reuters/Osman Orsal

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 29

Journalists arrested Police on the night of January 23 detained İshak Karakaş, chief editor and columnist for the online newspapers Halkın Nabzı and Artı Gerçek, at his Istanbul home as part of a sweeping crackdown on people who have criticized Turkey’s military intervention in Syria, the daily Evrensel reported.

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Turkish police special forces stand guard in Azaz, Syria on January 24, 2018. Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım asked journalists to frame Turkey's military incursions into northern Syria as an operation to protect the civilian population from terrorists, according to the online newspaper Odaty. (Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 22, 2018

Journalists jailed Istanbul authorities on January 18 ordered Veli Haydar Güleç, the former board member for the shuttered TV10, and Veli Büyükşahin, a former TV10 chairperson and current columnist for the online newspaper Artı Gerçek, to be held in pre-trial detention, Artı Gerçek reported.

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Turkish army tanks and armored personnel carriers are seen near the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey on January 23, 2018. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Journalists detained after criticizing Turkey’s Syria incursion

Istanbul, January 23, 2018 –The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the detention of at least four journalists in Turkey after they criticized its incursion into northern Syria, and urged Turkish authorities to release the journalists and allow the media to report without fear of reprisal.

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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

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.

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