'We are Ashamed to Share Such a Dark Picture on the 26th Year of the Press Freedom Day'

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The Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) has released its "Turkey Press Freedom Report" on May 3 World Press Freedom Day. TGS Chair Gökhan Durmuş and attorney Ülkü Şahin have presented the report.

Speaking before the presentation of the report, Durmuş said that he is sorry for not being able to celebrate such a day.

Saying that the report covers the events between April 2018 and April 2019, Durmuş remarked that journalists are persecuted because of reasons such as arrest, lawsuits, unemployment and detention pressure.

Reminding that the United Nations declared May 3 the World Press Freedom Day in 1993, Durmuş said, "ın the 25th year of the press freedom day, I am ashamed to share such a dark picture with the journalists."

"We want to create a country where the press is free"

Durmuş made the following remarks in his speech:

"We need to strive with other journalists to change this black picture. There is such a black picture in front of us in 2019 but we want to create a country where the press is really free in 2020 and we have to struggle to realize that.

"I once more call all journalists to act with solidarity and lay claim to their jobs. We are doing an honorable job, a public service. In a country, the guarantee of the people's right to receive news is the journalists, in a country, the guarantee of the democracy is the journalists, the guarantee of the independence of the law is the journalists.

"This situation has changed to the worse because of the policies that were practiced in the last ten years. While we say, 'There is no press freedom in Turkey,', we can also comfortably say that there is no democracy in Turkey. We don't have any other option than striving together to change this picture."

"Press freedom is destroyed in the country"

Ülkü Şahin, speaking after Durmuş, read the report they prepared.

"In the last years, increasing pressure on journalists, the control of the media being taken by the government, arrest of the 142 journalists destroyed the press freedom in the country," she said.

Saying that the journalists now have to defend press freedom in court halls, Şahin gave the following details from the report:

"In the past year, 74 journalists were sentenced to a total of 256 years in prison for various offenses. Three journalists were given a life sentence. On the May 3 World Press Freedom Day, our 142 colleagues are being held at various prisons in across Turkey.

"170 million liras of fine"

"In the last year, journalists were sentenced to pay a total of 170 million liras (~28.4 million US dollars) of judicial fine or compensation. 18 journalists were acquitted in the cases they were being tried. This number equals about 19 percent of the concluded cases against journalists. This means that out of 5 concluded cases, one journalist was acquitted and four were given sentence.

"When we look at the alleged offenses of journalists, 42 percent is propaganda crime, 16 percent is terrorist organization membership crime, 13 percent is insulting the President or public officials
6 percent is aiding a terrorist organization, and the remaining 23 percent is offenses such as provoking the people into enmity and hatred, social media posts, targeting people, insulting religious values, breach of privacy. In the trials related to these crimes, journalists have to defend the articles they wrote, the comments they made."

"The cases concluded in non-prosecution"

"In the last year, 20 journalists were detained on duty, or because of the news reports they wrote or the posts they shared. Journalists were subjected to many verbal attacks and threats last year. They were targeted by public officials and subjected to physical attacks. In spite of that, the cases where the journalists were the aggrieved party concluded in non-prosecution or impunity.

"Vice President Fuat Oktay announced that 1,954 journalists' press cards were canceled in the last three years.

Unionizing rate is very low

"According to the figures of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, the number of the employees in the sector was 92,159 in January 2018; this number was dropped to 86,366 in January 2019.

"Unemployment among the journalists is among 25 percent. In other words, one out of every four journalists is unemployed. Unionizing rate in the sector is 7.79 percent, much lower than Turkey average." (HA/VK)