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The Turkish government is increasingly coming under attack for meddling with the media, with reports stating that the government is seriously jeopardizing media freedom, as well as rights on freedom of assembly and expression. Istanbul-based journalist Mahir Zeynalov reports that the government is working to silence outspoken journalists. Last Friday, prosecutors and the government filed complaints against three journalists, demanding up to 26 years of prison for one journalist.
On December 5, three journalists were given life sentences on charges of “trying to overthrow constitutional order by means of violence” and holding high ranking positions in the outlawed Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP). Reporters Without Borders reports, “the extremely harsh sentences have ended a trial marked by violations of defence rights and unacceptably long pre-trial detention for the main defendants.”
Last month Nazil Muiznieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, voiced concerns about the state of the media freedom in Turkey. Muiznieks stated he, “was particularly worried about the chilling effects these measures could have on the free assembly and expression, as well as on media freedom,” referring to the harsh handling of demonstrations by law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) drafted a report criticizing Turkey over restrictions on press freedom. While the draft welcomed Turkey’s democratization package presented by the government in September, it expressed concerns about the limited coverage of the Gezi park events by the Turkish media, the large number of journalists currently in pre-trial detention, and the widespread phenomena of self-censorship by media owners and journalists. The European Parliament stressed the importance of an independent press for a democratic society.
