‘With journalists arrested and unemployment over 35 percent, there is nothing to celebrate’

"Free press is a requirement of democracy"(Photo: Eylem Nazlıer / Evrensel)

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Today, January 10, marks the Working Journalists Day in Turkey.

On this occasion, the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) released a written statement yesterday. Stressing the fact that "the unemployment rate has topped 35 percent in the media sector", the Union has underlined that "January 10 must be considered a day of struggle."

Referring to the current situation in Turkey, the TGC has said:

There is nothing to celebrate in an environment where 34 journalists are held in prisons, critical journalists are punished via the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and Press Advertisement Institution (BİK), around 90 percent are employed precariously and without a union, freedom of press and expression is restricted and journalists have to defend their news at courthalls almost every day.

The Union has listed the following developments in breach of freedom of expression and press in Turkey in 2021:

• In at least 130 court cases, 250 journalists were put on trial over their news. At least 50 journalists were taken into custody due to their journalistic activities.
• The RTÜK fined TV channels 21 million 500 thousand Turkish Lira (TRY) in total. While 23 of its 71 decisions were against Halk TV, 21 were against TELE1, 15 were against FOX TV, eight were against KRT and 4 decisions were against Habertürk.
• The BİK fined newspapers, primarily Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, BirGün and Sözcü, bu cutting their public ads for 115 days in total.
• However, despite this dark picture, journalists showed the way out to everyone by getting organized. The rate of unionization in the sector increased to 8.4 percent.
• Only in the past year, Ege İz newspaper, AFP Turkey, Cumhuriyet newspaper, Dokuz 8 Haber, BBC Turkey and AP Turkey have become our unionized workplaces. When the appeals of FOX TV and Halk TV employers against our union authorization are dismissed by courts, the number of unionized workplaces will increase even further.

(RT/SD)