Press Warns Government On Terror Bill

Turkey’s leading journalist associations issuing statements to mark May 3 “World Press Freedom Day” have warned the government against its new Anti-Terror Law (TMY) that will be debated at the Parliament Justice Commission on May 10 and expressed their concern over the possible loss of freedoms.

The Journalist’s Association of Turkey (TGC) said that despite the need of lifting the obstacles in front of freedom of expression in Turkey, new obstacles were being put in place.

The Contemporary Journalists Association (CDG) said “from the times when the press was receiving memorandums no improvements have taken place until now”.

The G9 Journalist Organisations Platform (CGD) said May 3 was a day to remind governments of the promises they had made for the freedom of press.

TGC said in its statement that the new law allowed for a very wide interpretation of the definition of crimes committed through publishing while the CGD said the TMY would restrict the freedom of the press and G9 branded it as “an initiative that will interrupt the democratisation period.”

"Saying there will be no concessions from democratization cannot compensate for restrictions that will be imposed under a justification of fighting terrorism” the G9 statement said.

TGC : Imprisonment mentality continues in new law

Noting that relative improvements in the 2004 amendment of the Press Law and the principles that were acknowledged had initially given the impression that obstacles in front of freedom of expression would be lifted, TGC said the revival of prison sentences and expanding the scope of offences to include radio and television journalists “was an important step going backwards”.

The Association said that with the TMY this backward march had entered a new phase and warned that the law was going to resurrect the restrictive regulations of the post September 12, 1980 military era. It said it was “unfortunate” for the draft law to be defended by saying no concessions would be given from democratisation.

“We invite the government and political parties to unite on the principle of justice above all instead of collaborating to restrict the freedom of expression and for them to leave aside their political interests” the TCG statement said.

CGD: Our TMY appeals were ignored

In its statement on World Press Day, the CDG said it was a great contradiction to have the new Anti-Terror Law bringing severe restrictions to the media being debated in parliament at a time reforms were being promised to the country.

"There has been no improvement for the press since the times when it was receiving memorandums up to this date,” the CDG statement said, in reference to past military efforts to control the press. “Non of our appeals to authorities on the issue of the TMY were heard” the statement concluded.

G9: Don’t go backwards

The G9 organisations criticised the government for following a “social tension” policy with debates from the turban to the secularism issue and stressed that freedoms were not just limited to the freedom of religion and belief. It branded recent developments in the field of media and press rights as backward steps and called on the government to abandon such initiatives.

The G9 said the government’s “credit” to boast about its democratisation under the EU accession period had come to an end and that it concerned professional organisations to see that new steps were being taken backwards rather than forwards.

The organisation argued that lifting freedoms under the excuse of fighting terrorism was in itself an obstacle before the fight against terror. (EO/II/YE)