Turkey amnesty bill would release 90,000 prisoners, but no journalists
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:
For Turkish journalists, fear of contracting COVID-19 competes with fear of arrest
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.
Turkey indicts 20 Saudi nationals over Jamal Khashoggi killing
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 joins calls on Turkey to lift ad ban on Evrensel daily
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…
Turkey arrests 4 more journalists for covering intelligence officer death
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.
Journalists covering refugee movements in Turkey detained, jailed
Istanbul, March 2, 2020 — Turkish authorities should allow journalists to cover refugee movements and other important events of public interest without fear that they will be detained or imprisoned, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
‘The goal is to make us stop writing’: Turkish journalists on attacks and threats
Eight months after he was attacked outside his Ankara home with baseball bats, Yavuz Selim Demirağ still has trouble sleeping. “The worry of suffering another attack at any minute messed with my psychology. Sometimes I feel like I am being followed,” the Turkish journalist said. “In the end, the threat continues. Because the attackers are…
CPJ joins call for Turkish authorities to lift advertising ban on leftist dailies
CPJ joined representatives from the International Press Institute, Reporters Without Borders, the Journalists Union of Turkey, and the European Federation of Journalists yesterday in a joint statement calling for Turkey’s Press Ad Agency, the state regulator of government ads in print media, to lift its ban on advertising in critical leftist dailies Evrensel and BirGün.
Turkish authorities cancel press passes for hundreds of journalists
Istanbul, January 24, 2020 — Turkish authorities should restore the recently cancelled press cards of hundreds of reporters, and establish a transparent and impartial process for obtaining press passes, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.