Erdoğan’s Statement ‘Press is More Liberal’ Not Confirmed by bianet Reports

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The Presidency Press Center released a message on the occasion of January 10 Working Journalists' Day today (January 9).

In the message shared on behalf of President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it was stated,

"The Turkish press, unfortunately, suffered serious pressure and unjust treatment during the periods of tutelage, when our democracy was interrupted and rights and freedoms were suspended.

"The reforms adopted over the last 16 years in our country have contributed to the enrichment and diversification of the Turkish press and helped it to have a more democratic and liberal structure."

However, the data shared by the Media Monitoring Report of bianet have been saying the exact opposite:

123 journalists in prison on October 1, 2018

According to Media Monitoring Report, in July-August-September 2018;

* 7 journalists were taken into custody,

* 85 journalists were dismissed,

* 37 journalists became defendants in lawsuits filed for insult,

* 20 journalists faced 93 years, 4 months in prison in total on charge of "insulting the President,"

* 247 journalists faced life imprisonment aggravated for 46 times, one aggravated life imprisonment, 2 thousand 855 years and 6 months in prison and 30 thousand Turkish Lira as penalty fines in total,

* Access to at least 2 thousand 518 news reports and articles was banned,

* The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed administrative fines of 2 million 33 thousand 185 Turkish Lira in total on television channels.

* European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) sentenced Turkey to pay a compensation of 2 thousand 500 Euro for violating freedom of expression,

* 123 journalists were in prison on October 1, 2018.

Journalists arrested between 2001 and 2011

bianet previously published a book compiling its Media Monitoring Reports from 2001 to 2011.

According to the book "Ten Years of Freedom of Expression", while the number of arrested journalists between 2001 and 2004 did not exceed 10, 15 journalists from eight media outlets were arrested in 2004.

In 2007, 20 journalists from 11 different media outlets were arrested. On December 31, 2011, 104 journalists and 30 distributors/media workers in total were behind bars in Turkey.

Journalists imprisoned between 2012 and 2017

According to the BİA Media Monitoring Reports, the number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey from 2012 to 2017 is as follows:

2012 - 68 imprisoned journalists

2013 - 59 imprisoned journalists

2014 - 22 imprisoned journalists

2015 - 31 imprisoned journalists

2016 - 131 imprisoned journalists

2017 - 122 imprisoned journalists

Click here to reach all BİA Media Monitoring Reports

(HK/SD)