Dear Sir
We understand that you have notified two Kurdish run television channels, Sterk TV and Ronahi TV, they must stop broadcasting through your satellite following a demand from the Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey. We note that you believe that the closure is in line with requirements of the Council of Europe Convention on Transfrontier Television and is based on allegations of support for and glorifying terrorism. Continue reading “OPEN LETTER to EUTELSAT”
Dear President and Members of the Peace Committee of International PEN,
Dear President and Members of the PEN Turkey Centre and Kurdish PEN Centre,
As many of you know, the Turkish government is continuing their harsh repression of the civil rights and Freedom of Expression of their Kurdish citizens.
On the 3rdof October 2016, the Kurdish Channel Med-Nuçe was shut down by their satellite provider, on Turkey’s request. This channel reported news hourly and had 26 genuine programs focusing not only on the Kurdish issues but also on women, labor conditions, environment, and local and international political discussions. It was their window on the world. Continue reading “Message of solidarity from Pen International”
22 October 2015
Last night, the Kurdish Community Centre in north London hosted an event with Frederike Geerdink, who is in London for a series of events promoting her new book on the Roboski massacre, The Boys Are Dead, which tells the story of her investigations into the atrocity on 28 December 2011 which killed 34 people.
Frederike gave a captivating account of her encounters with the Turkish authorities, which she said began the day she first visited Roboski in the weeks after the massacre took place.
She also described how state and private media in Turkey uncritically parroted the government narrative that the people killed were ‘terrorist helpers’ hiding PKK members among them as they crossed the border from Iraq, not civilians, and that the military was acting on sound intelligence. International media at the time insisted that the attack was an unfortunate accident and repeated that the government would carry out a full investigation.
Frederike was determined to uncover the truth behind the incident, however, and travelled to Roboski to hear from the villagers themselves and investigate the area. She discovered that neither the claims of sound intelligence (increased walkie talkie activity was the only evidence offered) nor that it was actually an accident on the part of the military were true. Continue reading “Frederike Geerdink: Reporting under siege in Turkey”
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) launched an international campaign to set free all journalists in Turkey. Below is their latest update.
28 Nov 2012 – EFJ Focus is out + special interview with Baris Terkoglu, in EFJ’s website
28 Nov 2012 – Patrick Kamenka (FEJ) estime que la libération de Bedri Adanir donne de l’espoir et que la lutte menée par la FEJ, la FIJ et la TGS porte ses fruits, in Nouvelles d’Arménie
28 Nov 2012 – Journalist Bedri Adanir is released (but condemned to 6 years) after 689 days in prison, in Bianet (Turkish)
28 Nov 2012 – Prosecutor opposes merger of OdaTV, Ergenekon case, in Today’s Zaman
28 Nov 2012 – Belgium’s French-speaking Parliament adopts a resolution condemning the lack of freedom for journalists in Turkey, PCWB’s website Continue reading “Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update”
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has begun an international campaign to demand freedom for detained journalists, called Set Journalists Free in Turkey.
EFJ unions across Europe have already been paired up with individual detained journalists in Turkey and are doing what they can to support them and campaign for their release.
The EFJ website says: “Over 700 individuals and organisations around the world have joined the “Set Turkish Journalists Free” campaign thanks to your support. Thousands of human rights activists have sent a petition letter to the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling for the release of the jailed journalists in Turkey. As of today, 76 professional journalists still remain in Turkish prisons with many waiting desperately a fair trial. Please keep supporting our campaign and share your solidarity with our jailed colleagues in Turkey.” Continue reading “Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ Campaign update”
To Turkish people and to the international community
The pressure and limitations on freedom of press in Turkey is not a new or recent phenomenon. However, it has reached to its peak level during the reign of the Islamist-rooted AKP government, due to its new regime perspective and hate towards the traditional pro-secular segments of the society. Today in Turkey almost 100 journalists are in prison for unjust accusations.
One of the most apparent cases, through which the freedom of press is under serious attack, is the Oda TV case in Turkey, in which fourteen journalists and writers have been taken under police surveillance and in which eleven of these journalists and writers have been arrested and put in prison.
The case is of the same sequence along with the other political cases, which are widely known as “the Ergenekon” and “the Balyoz” cases. In all of these cases there are serious illegal exercises of the police officers and of the prosecutors, besides the existence of the so-called “proofs”, which were later understood to be fabricated by many expertise reports. Continue reading “Statement by columnist for ODA TV”
Reposted from Amnesty International:
‘Turkey’s jailing of writers has received increasing attention in both the Turkish and the international press, enough to force Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to defend the fact that Turkey has more journalists in prison, describing them as “so-called journalists” who “ are actually “police murderers, sexual molesters and supporters of a coup”. Continue reading ““Kill All The Lawyers”: Stifling Dissent in Turkey”
Publisher, writer and human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu, who was arrested in an October raid in Istanbul and is being held in a high security prison, has been granted the 2012 Freedom Award by the Info-Turk Foundation:
Info-Türk Foundation’s 2012 Freedom Award Granted to Ragip Zarakolu
Brussels, December 28, 2011
As a non-government organization contributing for over 38 years to the struggle for human rights and freedoms in Turkey, Info-Türk Foundation has decided to grant its 2012 Freedom Award to author, journalist, publisher and human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu* who is currently under arrest at the high security prison type-F in Kocaeli. Continue reading “Zarakolu granted 2012 Freedom Award”
Another Vital Organ Of A Free And Transparent Democracy Finds Itself Arrested In Turkey: 40 Journalists Have Been Arrested For Their Opposition Of The Ruling Party
Press Statement
20.12.2011
The wave of mass arrests in Turkey has been extended to opposition journalists and members of the Kurdish media after last month’s mass arrest of defence lawyers. Continue reading “Britain Peace Council releases statement condemning the latest arrests in Turkey”
Bianet has published their BIA Media Monitoring Report for the second quarter of 2011, which includes details of arrests, convictions and sentencing of journalists and other media workers, by the Turkish Authorities. It also includes information on threats and attacks against Kurdish reporters, both by police and other individuals. It makes for startling reading.
Read the report in full on the Bianet website.
