Various sources report that dozens of Turkish journalists are jailed, and hundreds are facing trial. Chief among the reasons for so many to be jailed and facing legal action is their criticism of the government.
Over 40 journalists are in jail, and over 700 more are facing lawsuits with the threat of imprisonment, according to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
“We demand the immediate release of all journalists whose continued detention has only served to show the country’s intolerance of real democratic debate,” said Arne König, EFJ President, “It is prime time for the Government to show leadership and to end the climate of fear and intimidation which still surrounds the work of Turkish journalists.”
In response to the current climate, the Turkish Journalist’s Union joined with 18 other journalism organizations and set up the “Freedom for Journalists Platform” on August 25. The platform aims to monitor issues concerning the freedom of journalists.
According to the Economist, many of the journalists facing trial are Kurds, accused of “spreading separatist propaganda.”
One, Irfan Aktan, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in June for quoting a rebel of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Mehmet Baransu, an investigative reporter who has exposed a string of alleged coup plots and episodes of army incompetence, has faced 40 separate court cases and received six convictions in the past 15 months. The AK government has reneged on promises to ease tough media laws.