Coalition calls on Turkey to protect press freedom

Following the conclusion of an Oct. 19 to 21, 2015 joint international emergency press freedom mission to Turkey, representatives of participating international, regional and local groups dedicated to press freedom and free expression find that pressure on journalists operating in Turkey has severely escalated in the period between parliamentary elections held June 7 and the upcoming elections.

The representatives also determine that this pressure has significantly impacted journalists’ ability to report on matters of public interest freely and independently, and that this pressure, if allowed to continue, is likely to have a significant, negative impact on the ability of voters in Turkey to share and receive necessary information, with a corresponding effect on Turkey’s democracy.

Accordingly, the representatives stand in solidarity with their colleagues in the media in Turkey and demand an immediate to end to all pressure that hinders or prevents them from performing their job, or which serves to foster an ongoing climate of self-censorship. They also urge that steps be taken to ensure that all journalists are able to freely investigate stories involving matters of public interest, including allegations of corruption, the "Kurdish issue", alleged human rights violations, armed conflict – particularly issues related to the ongoing conflict in Syria – and local or regional issues or policies.

Further, the representatives specifically urge authorities in Turkey:

• To conduct a complete and transparent investigation into violent attacks on journalists and media outlets, including recent incidents targeting Hürriyet and columnist Ahmet Hakan, and to ensure that impunity for violent attacks on journalists is not allowed to flourish.

• To end the abuse of anti-terror laws to chill reporting on matters of public interest or criticism of public figures, and to ensure that such laws are both precisely tailored to serve only legitimate ends and interpreted narrowly.

• To reform laws providing criminal penalties for insult and defamation by dealing with such cases under civillaw and to end all use of such laws to target journalists, particularly Art. 299, which provides Turkey’s president with heightened protection from criticism, in violation of international standards.

• To enact reforms to free state media outlets from political pressure, e.g., by effecting a transition to a public broadcasting service that presents information from plural and diverse sources.

• To end the use of state agencies, such as tax authorities or others, to apply pressure against journalists who engage in criticism or critical coverage of politicians or government actions.

• To end the practice of seeking bans on the dissemination of content related to matters of public interest, e.g., the ban on dissemination of information related to the recent bombings in Ankara, and the practice of seeking to prohibit satellite or online platforms from carrying the signals of certain broadcasters.

• To refrain from taking other steps to censor online content, such as the blocking of websites or URLs, or the blocking of social media accounts, absent a legitimate, compelling reason for doing so, subject to independent judicial oversight.

• To release all journalists imprisoned on connection with journalistic activity, and to immediately and unconditionally release VICE News fixer Mohammed Rasool, who remains behind bars despite the release of two British colleagues for whom he was working and with whom he was detained.

• To end all arbitrary detentions and/or deportations of foreign journalists.

• To respect the right of journalists to freely associate and to end pressure brought in recent years against the Journalists Union of Turkey.

The mission representatives also urge Turkey’s president:

• To end all exercises of direct personal pressure on owners and/or chief editors of critical media.

• To stop using negative or hostile rhetoric targeting journalists.

• To accept the greater degree of criticism that comes with holding public office, to stop using criminal insult or defamation provisions to silence critics, and to publicly call on supporters to refrain from seeking to initiate such cases on his behalf.

Moreover, the mission representatives urge foreign governments, particularly those of the United States and countries within the European Union:

• To press Turkey to uphold its commitments to respect and uphold international human rights standards and, in the case of the EU, to ensure that any concessions granted in connection with resolution of the ongoing refugee crisis are made consistent with a long-term strategy specifically designed to encourage Turkey to comply with its commitments to uphold international human rights standards.

Finally, the mission representatives urge journalists in Turkey:

• To avoid the use of negative or hostile rhetoric targeting other journalists and to strive to uphold ethical standards developed by or as the result of self-regulatory bodies or processes.

• To exercise greater solidarity with colleagues under pressure and to defend the rights of all journalists.

Markus Spillmann, IPI Executive Board Vice Chair
Barbara Trionfi, IPI Executive Director
Steven M. Ellis, IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications
Muzaffar Suleymanov, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Europe and Central Asia Program Research Associate
Erol Önderoğlu, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative
Patrick Kamenka, Journalist, Intl. Federation of Journalists/European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ)
Mustafa Kuleli, Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) Secretary General, Member IFJ/EFJ
David Diaz-Jogeix, Article 19 Director of Programmes
Melody Patry, Index on Censorship Senior Advocacy Officer
Ceren Sözeri, Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) Member; Galatasaray University Associate Professor