Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) andPress Council made a press statement separately and responded to the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who threatened Can Dündar, Chief Editor of Cumhuriyet Daily which published the news of MİT Trucks carrying weapon to Syria.
TGC: Dündar pulled his weight for the public
“Can Dündar, Chief Editor of Cumhuriyet Daily Newspaper, pulled his weight for the public by publishing the news and photos of MİT Trucks.
“The President threatened Can Dündar explicitly by saying 'This is espionage and the journalist made the news will pay a heavy price for it.' The President’s mission shouldn’t be threatening the journalists. It violates the rule of law principle.
“We as the Council of Turkish Journalists Association, call the President and the government to stop the oppression and threats over the journalists.
ÇGD: We put our complete trust in Dündar
ÇGD asked “What will Erdoğan do? Will he hire a gun or put the journalists in jail? All journalists were threatened beside Can Dündar. Is this an instruction for the prosecutors and the court conducting the case? Are they threatened too?”
Head of ÇGD, Ahmet Abakay “We put our complete trust in Dündar and support him.”
“In Turkey, many journalists and writers were murdered like Hrant Dink. None of the killers have been found and the state itself lost the tracks of the murderers.
“The President should immediately recant. We reject it. Our country is dominated by lynching. Many lunatics are waiting for an opportunity to carry out these instructions for killing. We want to remind that Erdoğan’s words instigate and could wreak havoc.
“This threat is also against all free press and free journalists not only Can Dündar. I put my complete trust in Dündar because the news is true. Eroğan already doesn’t deny the trueness of it.”
Press Council: Dark clouds over the press
Press Council: “We witnessed the attempts of the President Erdoğan to censor the journalism. We are worry about that these behaviors will spread like dark clouds between journalists and media organs and target journalists and will bring irreparable damages.”
“In a democratic country, Turkey, people have the freedom of information; these kinds of discourses bring along threats, fear, censorship and the most important one, self-censor.
“We are worry about all journalists beside Can Dündar who pursue the truth.
“Press, freedom of expression and information are threatened explicitly by political forces.” (EA/BD)
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