Turkish media watchdog fines broadcasters for criticizing earthquake response
Istanbul, February 22, 2023 – In response to news reports that Turkey’s media regulator penalized three broadcasters for their critical coverage of the government’s response to recent devastating earthquakes that hit the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Critical journalism during a time of mourning for the tens of thousands of…
Turkish President Erdoğan sues recently arrested journalist Sedef Kabaş
Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – In response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s civil lawsuit seeking damages from journalist Sedef Kabaş and TELE1 television board chair Fırat Sakar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the complaint to be dropped. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should drop his civil suit against imprisoned…
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…
Turkish regulator censors Halk TV and TELE1 broadcasters for 5 days
Istanbul, July 1, 2020 – In response to an announcement today that Turkey’s broadcast regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), would suspend the Halk TV and TELE1 pro-opposition television stations for five days, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The Radio and Television Supreme Council should not function as a…
Turkish police arrest 2 journalists in espionage investigation
Istanbul, June 9, 2020 – Turkish authorities must release journalists Müyesser Yıldız and İsmail Dükel immediately, and ensure that the press can cover political and military news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday morning, police in Ankara arrested Yıldız, Ankara news director for opposition news website Odatv, and Dükel, the Ankara representative…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 27, 2018
Erdoğan in Germany A Turkish man wearing a “freedom for journalists” T-shirt was thrown out of a press conference between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on September 28, video from Euronews and Özgürüz showed. The man was identified as Adil Yiğit, chief editor for the Turkish language news website…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 9, 2018
Journalists Imprisoned An Istanbul court on April 6 arraigned İhsan Yaşar and İhsak Kabul, the publisher and responsible news editor respectively for the recently seized pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, on charges of “being members of a [terrorist] organization” and “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization,” the daily Evrensel reported.