Turkey charges 17 Kurdish journalists, media worker with membership in a terrorist organization
Istanbul, April 14, 2023 – Turkish authorities must immediately release all imprisoned members of the press and stop prosecuting journalists who cover Kurdish issues, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, April 12, the 4th Court of Serious Crimes in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır charged 17 Kurdish journalists and a media worker…
CPJ joins statement calling for Turkey’s media watchdog to stop punishing broadcasters over critical reporting
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 20 other press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organizations as signatories of a joint statement urging the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), Turkey’s media regulator, to end its punishments of broadcasters for critical reporting. The statement said RTÜK recently fined broadcasters FOX TV Turkey, Halk…
Turkish authorities arrest employee of Yeni Yaşam newspaper in terrorism investigation
Istanbul, March 23, 2023—Turkish authorities should immediately release Hamdullah Bayram and all journalists, media workers, and others detained in retaliation for outlets’ reporting on Kurdish politics and rights issues, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In February, authorities indicted 10 Kurdish journalists and accused them of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or…
Turkey regulator forces closure of German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s office
Istanbul, March 22, 2023 – Turkish authorities should reverse their decision not to extend the operating license of Deutsche Welle’s Turkey office and allow the German public broadcaster to operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 28, DW plans to close its Turkey office after the country’s Industry and Technology Ministry…
Turkish authorities harass Greek journalists covering earthquake, smash cameras and phones
Istanbul, March 21, 2023 – Turkish authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the recent official harassment of a Greek reporting crew and ensure that members of the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 16, members of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, a Turkish…
Turkish authorities jail 2 journalists over earthquake coverage, detain a third overnight
Istanbul, March 2, 2023–Turkish authorities should immediately release two journalists detained over their coverage of the recent earthquakes in the country and ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of Monday, February 27, police in the eastern province…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 10 months in prison under new disinformation law
Tatvan, Turkey, February 28, 2023 – A court in Turkey on Tuesday, February 28, sentenced journalist Sinan Aygül to 10 months in prison for allegedly spreading disinformation, according to news reports. Aygül is the first journalist prosecuted under Turkey’s new disinformation amendment, passed in October 2022, that CPJ has documented. He remains free pending an…
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…
Turkey indicts 10 journalists on terrorism charges
Istanbul, February 21, 2023 – Turkish authorities must stop charging members of the press with terrorism and release all jailed journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 8, the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office indicted 10 Kurdish journalists, nine of whom have been under pretrial arrest since late October, on the charge of…
Newly released from Turkish prison, Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent reflects on sham prosecution
Nedim Türfent knows why he spent six and a half years of his life behind bars as a convicted terrorist in Turkey. The court that sentenced him explained the verdict in official documents: Because he writes “exaggerated and disturbing news stories” about the state. After his prison term ended in November 2022, “It was…