Quarterly report reveals increasing press freedom violations in Turkey

Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) representatives announced their “Media Report” at a news conference in Ankara on Sunday.(Photo: Cihan)

July 05, 2015, Sunday/ 18:34:50/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / İstanbul

Investigations were launched against 26 journalists in the second quarter of 2015 while 19 others stood trial and faced possible jail terms, a report released by the Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) has revealed, in yet another sign of the weakening of press freedoms in Turkey.

At a news conference in Ankara on Sunday, the ÇGD released its second quarterly “Media Report” of 2015, which includes figures about legal action taken against journalists in the months of April, May and June in addition to acts of censorship and physical and verbal attacks faced by journalists. The news conference was attended by ÇGD President Ahmet Abakay, the ÇGD's Ankara branch president Can Güleryüzlü and press members.

Reading a statement on behalf of the ÇGD, Ankara branch executive board member Çınar Özer said that government pressure on the media had greatly intensified over the past three months, during which Turkey witnessed an election campaign by political parties in the run up to the June 7 general election. Özer said that the reason for the growing pressure on the media was to influence the political preferences of the public. “That's why many publications critical of the government's actions that are not lawful and transparent were speedily banned and investigations were launched against journalists who wrote reports after they were branded ‘terrorists' or ‘traitors,' and journalists were singled out in election rallies with a populist discourse that is usual for election periods,” said Özer.

The run-up to the June 7 general election saw intense campaigning and heavy use of state resources by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Although he is constitutionally required to be impartial, Erdoğan -- the former leader of the AK Party -- took part in the party's election campaign and asked for support for it, despite widespread criticism.

Giving some figures about press freedom violations in the past three months, Özer said that in addition to new investigations, trials into 61 journalists including correspondents, managing editors and editors-in-chief continued in this period. In some of these trials, suspects were given fines, some were given suspended prison sentences, some were acquitted and the trials of some suspects were adjourned to a later date.

The ÇGD report reveals that 19 journalists including three foreign nationals were detained and one was arrested over the past three months, during which 12 physical attacks took place against press organizations and members. In addition, a number of journalists who are seen to be critical of the government faced accreditation bans preventing them from covering events, particularly those attended by government officials and Erdoğan.

Some journalists were handed accreditation bans not only for public buildings but also at locations such as the Highway Builders' Union (yol-iş), Avea and the Israeli Embassy. The government has made it a rule rather than an exception to deny accreditation to critical and independent media outlets in Turkey, drawing criticism from the European Union, opposition parties and media watchdog groups, which accuse the governing party of violating press freedom.

The ÇYD report examines press freedom violations in Turkey over the past three months in four chapters. The first chapter concerns the developments following the hostage crisis at the İstanbul Courthouse on March 31, which led to the killing of a public prosecutor. The second chapter deals with developments concerning the press following the publication of pictures of weapons carried by Syria-bound trucks run by Turkey's intelligence organization, the National Intelligence Organization (mit). The third chapter is related to developments concerning the election period, while the fourth chapter is about other developments.

Some examples of press freedom violations that made their way into ÇYD's report are as follows.

One day after the hostage crisis, Erdoğan threatened media organizations that printed pictures or broadcast image of Public Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz with a gun pointed to his head by terrorists. Speaking from Romania, where he was on an official visit, Erdoğan said: “Those who are publishing these photos throughout the day; what is your goal? Are not you aware that you are serving the interests of a terrorist organization? Certainly, I will make different statements when I return to my country.”

Erdoğan's statements prompted the launch of an investigation against the Bugün, Cumhuriyet, Posta and Hürriyet newspapers on charges of “spreading the propaganda of a terrorist organization” due to their coverage of the hostage crisis.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu enforced a selective ban on critical media organs from attending the funeral service of Prosecutor Kiraz at İstanbul's Eyüp Sultan Mosque. News outlets from the Doğan media conglomerate such as Hürriyet, the Radikal news portal, Posta, CNN Türk and the Kanal D television station as well as the İMC, Samanyolu and Bugün television stations were barred from entering the mosque.

The Sözcü, Taraf, Millet, Bugün, Zaman, Cumhuriyet, Ortadoğu, Yeniçağ and Birgün dailies were also prevented from entering the mosque in a move that attracted widespread criticism. In addition, journalists such as Mirgün Cabas, Banu Güven, Ceyda Karan, Emre Uslu, Önder Aytaç and Nazlı Ilıcak were summoned to testify as suspects as part of an investigation launched against them over charges of contributing to the propaganda of a terrorist organization through posts on Twitter concerning the hostage crisis.

Another blow to 39 newspapers was dealt by Turkey's Press Bulletin Authority (BİK), which stopped placing public advertisements for between one and 12 days in newspapers that published photos related to the hostage crisis on March 31.

On May 29, prosecutors launched a terrorism investigation into Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar hours after the daily published the photos of arms that it said were transferred to Syria in trucks operated by MİT. Two separate investigations were also launched against Dündar on charges of "membership of a terrorist organization, attempting a coup and political and military espionage.”

President Erdoğan also personally filed a criminal complaint against Dündar, demanding a life sentence, an aggravated life sentence and an additional 42-year term of imprisonment for his daily's coverage of the MİT trucks story. Erdoğan lambasted Dündar for the coverage, promising in televised remarks not to let the journalist go unpunished. “He will pay a heavy price,” Erdoğan said on state broadcaster TRT.

During the campaigning process for the general election, TRT -- which has been accused of being a government mouthpiece -- did not agree to broadcast a commercial by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The CHP then launched a criminal complaint against TRT at the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

On May 31, a reporter from Zaman, Emre Şencan, was beaten and briefly detained by police while taking photos at Gezi Park near İstanbul's Taksim Square on the second anniversary of the nationwide Gezi protests, which erupted in late May 2013 over a government plan to destroy the park and build a shopping mall in its place. The incident led to a public outcry and brought the safety of journalists in the country back on to the public agenda.