Milliyet Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

A raised hand holds a large ID card showing journalists in jail in place of a photo.

Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive

June 9, 2021 11:32 AM EDT

On April 1 this year, press freedom groups in Turkey chalked up a small win when the nation’s top administrative court, the Council of State, suspended 2018 rules that made it easier for the authorities to cancel or refuse press cards. The changes had transferred authority over press cards to the presidency and barred them…

People relax near Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey on April 4, 2018. An Istanbul court convicted in a retrial Hasan Cemal, a veteran journalist and a columnist for the news website T24, on charges of "making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization," according to news reports. (Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 2, 2018

April 5, 2018 4:54 PM EDT

Journalists sentenced An Istanbul court convicted in a retrial Hasan Cemal, a veteran journalist and a columnist for the news website T24, on charges of “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization,” and issued a suspended sentence of 18 months and 22 days, according to an April 3 report from the daily Cumhuriyet.

Pedestrians walk by the latest work by the elusive British street artist Bansky along a wall in New York City on March 16, 2018. The work draws attention to the jailed Turkish artist Zehra Doguan.(AFP/ Getty Images/ Spencer Platt)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 19, 2018

March 22, 2018 4:41 PM EDT

Media sales Doğan Holding, one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates, on March 21 announced that it would sell its media assets to the pro-government Demirören Holding, according to news reports.

Turkey's capital is calm as seen through a broken window at Ankara police headquarters, July 18, 2016, days after soldiers launched a failed attempt at a coup. (Osman Orsal/Reuters)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of July 17

July 18, 2016 11:26 AM EDT

Police raid and seal Meydan offices Istanbul police raided the offices of the pro-Hizmet daily Meydan at about 5 p.m. yesterday, local press reported. Police searched the offices in the Şirinevler district for three hours and confiscated documents, before sealing the building. The website of Meydan has not been updated since yesterday. The raid comes…

Eighteen Turkish journalists face jail terms on terrorism allegations

August 6, 2015 2:50 PM EDT

Istanbul, August 6, 2015–Eighteen editors from nine outlets in Turkey have been accused of terrorism in connection with publishing a photograph, according to Turkish and international news reports.

A journalist holds a placard at the headquarters of Zaman daily newspaper in Istanbul on December 14, 2014. Turkish police raided media outlets close to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, including Zaman, and detained 23 people. (Reuters/Murad Sezer)

Finding new ways to censor journalists in Turkey

April 27, 2015 11:01 AM EDT

The flood was foretold, and seemed inevitable. Even I, with my limited resources as a journalist and media monitor, raised the alarm years ago.

A Sliver of Hope Emerges for a More Independent Press in Turkey

February 12, 2014 1:27 AM EST

The Gezi Park protests force some independent-minded journalists to confront the media’s unwillingness to take on the government. By Nicole Pope

Three abducted journalists released in Syria

January 8, 2014 1:26 PM EST

New York, January 8, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the news that three abducted journalists in Syria have been freed this week. The Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed today that freelance Swedish journalists Magnus Falkehed and Niclas Hammarstrom, both of whom were abducted in November, were released. On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkish…

Turkish journalist abducted in Syria

December 19, 2013 4:37 PM EST

Istanbul, December 19, 2013–A Turkish journalist is the latest reporter to be abducted in Syria, where approximately 30 journalists are missing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Bünyamin Aygün, a photojournalist for the daily Milliyet, was abducted in November, but the case was not made public before this week.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his intolerance to criticism. (Reuters/Peter Dejong/Pool)

Turkey peace talks positive; press freedom still in peril

April 8, 2013 11:44 AM EDT

Today, hope for peace between the government of Turkey and Kurdish rebels is closer than ever to becoming reality. A resolution to the conflict, after more than 30 years, could have ramifications for Turkey’s standing as the world’s worst jailer of journalists. According to CPJ research, three-quarters of the journalists imprisoned in Turkey are from…