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  • ANKARA: Press Institute: Who Else Is Being Bugged?

    PRESS INSTITUTE: WHO ELSE IS BEING BUGGED?

    BIAnet.org
    June 1 2010
    Turkey

    The Press Institute Association criticized the wiretapping of the
    Milliyet newspaper switchboard, "This is a new example demonstrating
    a severe violation of press freedom and freedom of expression in
    Turkey". Journalists organizations TGS and CGD condemned the incident.

    Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul - BÄ°A News Center01
    June 2010, Tuesday After criticism voiced by the Turkish Journalists
    Union (TGS) and the Contemporary Journalists Association (CGD), also
    the Press Institute Association condemned the telephone tapping of
    newspapers' switchboards.

    "We cannot expect to freely establish relations to sources of the
    press in a country where telephone tapping becomes more widespread
    in a carefree manner. A threat to press freedom means a threat to
    democracy".

    Former Deputy Chief of the Police Directorate, Emin Arslan, stated in
    a hearing at the Istanbul 9th High Criminal Court on 28 May that the
    switchboards of Milliyet, Radikal, Posta and Fanatik newspapers were
    illegally wiretapped. While officials remained silent on the issue,
    professional press organizations expressed their protest:

    TGS and CGD condemned telephone tapping TGS President Ergan Ä°pekci
    argued, "It was us who revealed Ergenekon, it was us who reached the
    forces behind the 'deep' state". Ä°pekci indicated that neither the
    state nor the Prime Minister could abdicate from their responsibility
    for the telephone tapping. "Tapping of newspapers' switchboard and
    journalists' phones cannot be accepted in any aspect related to
    freedom of expression in the media".

    Head of the CGD, Ahmet Abakay, criticized, "There is a common
    guilt if the political power does not take measures. Somebody has
    to be responsible for the state's bugging devices. Was that TÄ°B
    [Telecommunication Communication Presidency] or was it the Minister
    of Justice? Whoever, they should be called to account at court".

    Press Institute: Totally carefree and illegal...

    The latest announcement came from the Press Institute Association. The
    Association emphasized that the telephone tapping of the Milliyet
    newspaper switchboard after the same happened at Cumhuriyet newspaper
    before constituted a severe violation of press freedom and freedom
    of expression in Turkey. "Officials should declare which newspaper
    switchboards have been wiretapped as soon as possible", the Association
    demanded.

    "Procedures and reasons for telephone tapping are clearly defined
    by law. Nevertheless, the bugging of the switchboards was carried
    out beyond any legal framework and thus became absolutely carefree
    and illegal".

    Defendant Emin Arslan is tried because of drug trafficking and was
    released pending trial in his first hearing. If his claims are true,
    the freedom of obtaining information was violated in hundreds of
    cases since up to 850 employees of four different newspapers allegedly
    were wiretapped.

    Issue will be clarified if TÄ°B discloses referring data In the
    same hearing, Arslan stated that IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
    Identity) numbers of Milliyet newspaper were bugged as well due to news
    concerned with the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

    Arslan claimed that phones of journalists, politicians, members of
    the judiciary and officers were wiretapped. He said that all the
    information would be revealed if the court demanded the acquisition
    of the referring data from TÄ°B. (EO/VK)




    From: A. Papazian
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