Turkey

Turkey has faced an unprecedented crackdown on the media and justice system following the failed coup in July 2016. Abuse of Turkey’s vaguely worded anti-terror legislation is widespread: scores of journalists, human rights defenders, opposition parliamentarians and academics are on trial facing terror charges, without clear evidence or logical charges. Many have been held for over a year in pre-trial detention. Attacks on freedom of expression are compounded by pressure on the judiciary exerted through increasing dismissals, prosecutions and arrests of judges and prosecutors. Restrictions on expression also severely undermine the public’s right to information, with Turkish courts regularly ordering media blackouts after terrorist attacks and wholesale blocking of websites.  Nowhere is this felt more strongly than in the South-East of the country, where reliable information on human rights abuses is increasingly hard to access and journalists struggle to safely report news.

According to official government sources, there are no journalists in jail in Turkey – they are in fact all “terrorists”. Calls from the international community for Turkey to ensure that no one is prosecuted on the basis of their journalism have been rejected as interference in independent judicial processes. By monitoring trials, drafting expert legal opinions on cases and sharing this information with the international community, ARTICLE 19 aims to dismantle this narrative.

Turkey: Charges against journalist Baransel Ağca must be dismissed
06.11.2023 4 min read

Turkey: Charges against journalist Baransel Ağca must be dismissed

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Turkey: International groups condemn arrest of journalist Tolga Şardan
02.11.2023 6 min read

Turkey: International groups condemn arrest of journalist Tolga Şardan

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Turkey: Top court upholds Osman Kavala’s life term
11.10.2023 13 min read

Turkey: Top court upholds Osman Kavala’s life term

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Turkey: We condemn ongoing judicial harassment of journalist Barış Pehlivan
09.08.2023 5 min read

Turkey: We condemn ongoing judicial harassment of journalist Barış Pehlivan

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Turkey: Stop systemic detention of journalists
26.07.2023 6 min read

Turkey: Stop systemic detention of journalists

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Turkey: International groups condemn attack against journalist Sinan Aygül
20.06.2023 4 min read

Turkey: International groups condemn attack against journalist Sinan Aygül

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Turkey: History in the making as elections loom
11.05.2023 11 min read

Turkey: History in the making as elections loom

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Turkey: Threats to the online environment during elections
10.05.2023 48 min read

Turkey: Threats to the online environment during elections

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Event: History in the Making – Twitter space talk ahead of the Turkish elections
27.04.2023 2 min read

Event: History in the Making – Twitter space talk ahead of the Turkish elections

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