Turkey Tops CPJ's Jailed Journalists List

Committee to Protect Journalists announced its annual report on jailed journalists with Turkey topping list above China, Iran, 47 other countries.

CPJ report said 232 journalists worldwide have been behind bars in 2012, a year relatively better than 1996 when the toll was the highest.

"Turkey, Iran and China are trying to oppress their minorities and opposition with widely-defined restrictions on press freedom. In 2012, journalist have been mostly charged with crimes associated with terrorism, treason and supporting military junta," the report said.

The CPJ report mentioned Tayyip Temel, editor-in-chief at Turkey's Kurdish language newspaper Azadiya Welat, saying that he might get a 20 year sentence for terrorism charges. "The only evidence that the Turkish state is claiming against him are his published works and phone conversation recordings with his co-workers."

The report also emphasized that 43 journalists have been detained by Syrian (15) and Eritrean (28) governments in undisclosed locations with no prosecution whatsoever. "Jailed journalists are not even allowed to see their attorneys. Around the world, there are 63 journalists like that."

Reminding Turkey's latest penal code revisions throughout the year, the report said Turkey released 61 jailed journalists in August.

"However," the report continued, "80 percent of the jailed journalists in Turkey are not charged with any crimes." (EA)