‘Release All Journalists from Prison’

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Releasing statements on arrested journalists in Turkey, the Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey have made a call for the release of their arrested colleagues from prisons across Turkey amid coronavirus outbreak.

Sharing a brief message on RSF Turkey Twitter account, RSF Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu has said, "We are calling on the judicial authorities to release arrested journalists, who are now more vulnerable together with their families due to coronavirus, albeit on probation. The 'precautionary' aspect of arrest cannot be abused any longer!"

RSF temsilcisi Erol Önderoğlu: Yargı yetkililerini, adaletsizlikler üstüne, #koronavirüs ün aileleriyle birlikte daha savunmasız bıraktığı tutuklu gazetecileri adli kontrol altında da olsa tahliye etmeye çağırıyoruz. Tutuklamanın “tedbir” niteliği daha fazla kötüye kullanılamaz! pic.twitter.com/Y1NUjTQlm5

— RSF Türkçe (@RSF_tr) March 17, 2020

TGC: Judicial Reform is disregarded

In a statement released by the TGC Administrative Board, the recent arrest of journalists and access blocks on news websites have been criticized. "Judicial Reform is disregarded," the Board has said and added:

"With the arrest of journalists and access blocks, freedom of press and thought is unconstitutionally curtailed. Journalists keep being punished with arrests, which - in fact - have to be an exception.

"Despite the Constitution's Article 28 of 'Freedom of Press' that says that 'press is free, it cannot be censored,' access to Odatv has been blocked by the decision of the Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), it has been censored by the government.

"The verdicts of the Constitutional Court on access blocks that concluded that 'all types of restrictions such as access blocks imposed on websites or news on websites is an intervention into the freedom of receiving and giving information' were not taken into consideration.

"It is not known any longer when or after what news they report the journalists, who do their duties for the people's right to receive and give information and to learn the truths, will be arrested .

"Our colleagues are detained and arrested over several news such as the ones on a funeral, coronavirus and the yacht of a Dubai sheikh. The climate of self-censorship is being consolidated.

"The Press Advertisement Institution (BİK) is still imposing public ad bans on the newspapers that are not liked by the government.

"Journalism is not a crime. The BİK should abandon using public ads for purposes of censorship and punishment. All obstacles standing in the way of reporting on issues directly concerning public interest in a free and independent manner should be eliminated.

"Extraordinary conditions should not be used to curtail people's right to information. We declare that we are standing in solidarity with our all colleagues who are under pressure and arrested.

"We reiterate our call for the release of all journalists from prisons."

(HA/SD)