Turkey releases French photographer Mathias Depardon
New York, June 9, 2017–Turkish authorities should allow French photographer Mathias Depardon to live and work freely in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Depardon’s lawyer, Emine Şeker, told CPJ that the photographer was deported to France today.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 4, 2017
News websites blocked for 25th, 44th time, respectively The Turkish telecommunications regulator BTK blocked access to the website of the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Özgürlükçü Demokrasi–for the 25th time–and to the leftist news website sendika.org–for the 44th time, the press freedom collective Ben Gazeteciyim (“I am a journalist”) reported yesterday. Özgürlükçü Demokrasi continues to publish at…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of May 28, 2017
Chair and editor of shuttered news agency arrested Police in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakır on the night of May 31 arrested Zekeriya Güzüpek, the former chair of the board of the shuttered pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DİHA), and Mehmet Ali Ertaş, a former Kurdish-language editor at the news agency, the news website Artı…
Ethiopian high court convicts editor of inciting subversion
New York, May 24, 2017–The Ethiopian Federal High Court’s conviction of Getachew Shiferaw, editor of the news website Negere Ethiopia, on charges of inciting subversion is a further blow to press freedom in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Cameroonian military court convicts journalist Ahmed Abba of terrorism charges
New York, April 20, 2017–A military court in Cameroon today convicted Ahmed Abba, a journalist for Radio France Internationale’s Hausa service, on charges of “non-denunciation of terrorism” and “laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts,” according to his lawyer and RFI. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Cameroonian authorities not to contest the journalist’s…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 16, 2017
Wire reporter jailed The Supreme Court of Appeals on April 14 upheld the Second Mardin Court for Serious Crimes’ November 2016 sentence of two years and four months in prison against Meltem Oktay on charges of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization,” the news website Dihaber reported yesterday.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 9, 2017
Erdoğan vows jailed Die Welt correspondent will never return to Germany Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last night vowed that Die Welt Turkey correspondent Deniz Yücel, a dual citizen of Germany and Turkey would never be allowed to return to Germany so long as he was president, the online newspaper Diken reported.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 2, 2017
Cumhuriyet journalists respond to indictment Cumhuriyet journalists Kadri Gürsel and Murat Sabuncu, who were listed in an indictment against the Turkish daily earlier this week, reacted to the accusations presented to the court, online newspaper Demokrat Haber and Cumhuriyet reported yesterday.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 26, 2017
Istanbul court orders release, pending trial, of at least 19 journalists Istanbul’s 25th Court for Serious Crimes today ordered the release, pending trial, of at least 19 journalists imprisoned in direct relation for their work following the July 2016 failed military coup, according to news reports. The court did not drop any charges against the…
Die Welt Turkey correspondent jailed pending trial
New York, February 28, 2017–Turkish prosecutors should immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Deniz Yücel, Turkey correspondent for the German newspaper Die Welt, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Istanbul’s Ninth Court of Penal Peace last night ordered the journalist, a dual citizen of Turkey and Germany detained since February 14, jailed pending…