May reminds Erdoğan about Cumhuriyet

It has been learnt that, during the first visit made on 13-15 May by Tayyip Erdoğan to the UK following his election as president, the detention lasting 543 days of our newspaper Cumhuriyet’s columnists and managers was also raised while the processes of democratisation, human rights and freedom of expression in Turkey were addressed behind closed doors. It appears that during the private meeting the British Prime Minister Theresa May held with Erdoğan at her 10 Downing Street residence, May touched on her sensitivity over the freedom of press and expression by raising the situation of Cumhuriyet newspaper, and also the continued detention procedures affecting above all Amnesty International Executive Board Chair Taner Kılıç.

May, whom Erdoğan met in the course of his visit to London on 13-15 May, was accused prior to the meeting by human rights and press freedom organisations of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in the interests of trade. At the joint statement, May said, “I have underlined to President Erdoğan that we want to see democratic values and international human rights obligations upheld.” May did not wish for the measures taken following the coup attempt to be taken to the extreme. British Ambassador Dominick Chilcott, in turn, stating that the date of Erdoğan’s London visit had been set prior to the taking of the snap election decision in Turkey, indicated at a press conference held yesterday following the visit that the subjects of human rights and democracy had been raised at the private meeting between May and Erdoğan and, saying he did not want to breach confidentiality, provided no information about the details. The Ambassador made reference to the comments that May made at the press conference. Chilcott, saying that the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was also considered during the discussions between Erdoğan and British Prime Minister Theresa May, commented that the UK, in common with Turkey, did not intend to move its embassy and said they considered the step taken by the USA to be a mistake.

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