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  • Turkey's Press Freedom Problem

    TURKEY'S PRESS FREEDOM PROBLEM

    AZG DAILY
    21-04-2011

    Matthew Brunwasser reports, the Armenian Mirror-Spectator weekly.

    There are now 61 journalists in detention in Turkey, a country that
    is held up as a model for Islamic democracies.

    Eight Turkish journalists have been arrested over the past month. They
    are accused of, among other things, participating in a terrorist
    organization called Ergenokon. Lawyer Huseyin Ersoz represents three
    jailed journalists. He says it's clear from their interrogation that
    they were arrested because of their critical reports on the ruling
    AK Party.

    "All the questions directed to our clients were not just about the
    events but about the reporting process: how they found their news
    and which contacts they used," Ersoz said: "They were interrogated
    about their sources, specific phone calls and what their point in
    doing the story was?"

    Turkish press groups say silencing journalists is a big problem that's
    gaining attention worldwide. There are now 61 journalists in detention
    and some 5,000 pending court cases. Senior European Union and US
    officials have weighed in on the seeming discrepancy between Turkey's
    stated support for a free press and the detention of journalists.

    "We are trying to make sense of this," US Ambassador to Turkey Frank
    Ricciardone said.

    Lawyer Huseyin Ersoz said there's no mystery.

    "It's the beginning of an empire of fear," Ersoz said. "If the AKP
    were to use the law against offending the Turkish nation, then everyone
    in society and the international community would oppose them.

    But since they are fighting against terrorism, the greatest crime
    you can imagine, no one dares to resist."

    Turkish legislation provides a rich arsenal of ammunition to silence
    reporters. There are laws against spreading propaganda and laws
    against obtaining sensitive information for example.

    Those laws - alone - are used by the government to punish reporting
    on Kurdish rebels and national security issues. In one case, the
    government is accused of using tax authorities to punish a critical
    media group. Turkish Daily News editor and columnist Barcin Yinanc
    said the Turkish government is hypocritical when it criticizes others
    in the region for a lack of freedoms.

    "While at home they don't implement some of the basic tenets of
    democracy," Yinanc said. "One of them is freedom of the press."

    Emma Sinclair-Webb, who is with Human Rights Watch, said that Turkey
    still hasn't got a record that fits a democratic society. She said that
    Turkey today is politically more open than it was but that there is a
    "confusing" pattern of state harassment of journalists.

    Reporters from the left and the right, secularists and Islamists all
    feel the pressure. And as the party in power, the ruling AKP is simply
    the worst offender.

    "Until Turkey gets its own house in order, it will never be a fully
    credible leading country in the region to advise others what to do,"
    Sinclair-Webb said. "And getting its own house in order, on issues
    like press freedom, freedom of expression, has to be a priority for
    a country which does seek a regional role and play as a big actor in
    the newly emerging Middle East."

    Political Motivations

    Turkish politicians also launch personal legal actions to silence
    critical journalists, including one famous suit by the prime minister
    against a political cartoonist, for portraying his face on a cat
    tangled in yarn.

    "What message does that send out about your tolerance of free speech,
    your tolerance of dissent, your tolerance of shocking and disturbing
    views, which are all permissible in a democracy?" Sinclair Webb asked.

    Government officials deny any political motivations in the recent
    arrests. At a recent meeting of the governing AK Party, Prime Minister
    Recep Tayyip Erdogan wondered whether journalists considered themselves
    exempt from Turkish law.

    "A legal action has been taken against a website," Erdogan said. "They
    say, the government muzzles the journalists. What it got to do with
    us? Certain chorus immediately weighs in. I wonder, are there any
    provisions stating media executives, journalists have legal immunity
    and we don't know about it? Are media entities privileged? Are they
    exempt from laws, taxes? Can't they be prosecuted?"

    The prime minister's strong public warnings to journalists may have
    a chilling effect observers say - but Turkish journalists are still
    writing punchy stories. And the clash between the press and the state,
    loud and spirited under normal conditions, is just cranking up as
    Turkey enters the campaign season for national elections in June.

    (This story originally was broadcast by Public Radio International's
    "The World," a radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features,
    interviews and music from around the globe.)




    From: A. Papazian
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