Europe comes out in support of the detained journalists

National and international press and speech freedom organisations are convening to call a halt to the trampling of the right to obtain news and to stress that journalism is not a crime. The call will be made for journalists to be released pending trial at the meeting scheduled for tomorrow (27 February) at 15.00 hours at the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) headquarters in Cağaloğlu. The delegation will also make a support visit to our newspaper tomorrow.

At the planned meeting, the TGC, International Press Institute (IPI), PEN Sweden, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Article 19 and the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) will voice their calls for the ending of restrictions on press and speech freedom in Turkey and for journalists to be able to do their work without facing detention and attack. The meeting will be addressed by TGC Chair Turgay Olcayto, IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis, the IPI England national committee, BBC Scotland Managing Editor Sandy Bremner, Article 19 program officer Georgia Nash, PEN Sweden General Secretary Anna Livion Ingvarsson, RSF Advocacy Advisor Sophie Busson, RSF Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu and AEJ President Otmar Lahodynsky.

The darkest year

There are 151 journalists languishing in Turkish jails. 2016 saw Turkey rise to the top of the league of countries that imprison the most journalists, while it fell to 151^st place in the international press freedom index. With the closure of more than 160 newspapers, TV stations, magazines, radio stations and online news sites coming in the aftermath of the coup attempt, 2016 has passed into history as the darkest year for press and speech freedom in Turkey

Large protest in Rotterdam

The Netherlands branch of Amnesty International protested against the persecution of journalists in Turkey in front of the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam and the Turkish Embassy in The Hague. The Netherlands Union of Journalists and PEN Netherlands also supported the protest at which photographs of journalists and columnists who are in detention and on trial were displayed. It was noted that the protest attracted the displeasure of some of the Turkish people waiting in front of the consulate to obtain a vote in the referendum.