Turkey / Europe & Central Asia

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…

Istanbul, May 13, 2020 – Turkish authorities must release journalists detained for their coverage of an intelligence officer and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Istanbul, May 11, 2020 — Turkish authorities should revise a recently passed financial regulation to ensure that it cannot be used against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Istanbul, April 30, 2020 – Turkish authorities should drop the charges against journalist Fatih Portakal and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Istanbul, April 20, 2020 — Turkish authorities should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the shooting attack on the Kocaeli Ses newspaper, hold those responsible to account, and ensure the safety of the paper’s staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

New York, April 7, 2020 — In response to the Turkish Parliament’s proposed bill that would release 90,000 prisoners to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but which would not free journalists held as political prisoners, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

Journalist Evrim Kepenek works in Istanbul as the women and LGBTI+ news editor for the independent news website Bianet. Like most people, she works from home these days, but she is also a street reporter who recently observed twin fears among the Turkish public: getting infected with COVID-19 and getting arrested for talking about it.

New York, March 25, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed an announcement that Turkish officials have indicted 20 Saudi nationals on charges of murder and incitement linked to the 2018 killing of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and issued the following statement:

CPJ joined the International Press Institute, Reporters Without Borders, the Journalists Union of Turkey, the European Federation of Journalists, and 20 other Turkish and international groups in a joint letter today calling for Turkey’s Press Ad Agency, the state regulator of government advertisements in print media, to lift its ban on advertising in critical leftist…

Istanbul, March 9, 2020 — Turkish authorities should immediately release Barış Pehlivan, Murat Ağırel, Ferhat Çelik, and Aydın Keser, and all other journalists in custody for their reporting, and drop any charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.