'Media Authorities Have Become Publicly Financed Executioners of the Press'

Journalists stage a protest in Taksim, İstanbul (File photo)

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The Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD) Media Monitoring Commission has released a report covering rights violations against journalists during the coronavirus pandemic and media authorities' fines on critical news outlets in May.

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and the Press Advertisement Institution (BİK) have become "publicly financed executioners of the press" and "guards of the ruling power against the press," the ÇGD's report said.

Referring to the authorities' broadcast suspension fines on TV and radio channels and cutting of public ads on newspapers, the report says critical outlets were being targeted financially.

RTÜK suspended a program on Halk TV for five episodes after main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu' remarks during a broadcast. It also gave a monetary fine to Habertürk TV after İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener appeared on a program.

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"The fact that the decisions were political and lacked a legal basis was also recorded by courts. Ankara 12th Administrative Court pointed out that RTÜK Chair made statements to the media although a fine was issued two days after the broadcast and the relevant experts of the agency had not reviewed the subject and emphasized neutrality.

"The court noted that '... It seems that the defendant administration has moved away from expertise in its actions, proceedings and decisions, it does not exhibit professional behavior, and inflicted a heavy blow to the perception of impartiality'."

The mentioned court records were about an appeal by TELE 1 TV against a five-episode suspension fine for a program was rejected but the presiding judge gave a dissenting. The court rejected the appeal but the presiding judge gave a dissenting opinion.

The TGC's report also included RTÜK Chair Şahin's remarks on May 15, when he said that had he received instructions from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he would have taken them as "orders."

The report mentioned death threats and "death list" remarks by Sevda Noyan, a pro-government media figure, during a TV program. The RTÜK did not review the program in its first session after the broadcast and Şahin had said they wouldn't give a penalty to the TV channel that would "please coup supporters." The program was later suspended for three episodes.

The fines imposed by the BİK on daily Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, Sözcü and BirGün were also covered in the report.

"With the mission they have undertaken, both the RTÜK and the BİK have become publicly financed executioners of the press, they are strangling the press," the report said. "Maybe the press can't breathe right now, but those who read the history of the freedom of the press a little bit know that neither journalists are convicted nor oppression can silence independent journalism."

Trials of journalists

Three journalists were detained in May and one was remanded in custody, the report noted. After indictments were accepted against seven journalists, they are facing up to 17 years in prison. An investigation was opened against one journalist, one journalist was summoned to give a statement, one journalist was sentenced to house arrest and a photographer was remanded in custody.

Also, numerous media outlets applied to the government for the short-term work allowance due to the pandemic and many journalists had to live on with salaries from 1,050 lira to 1,300 lira, the report noted (1 lira=6.81 USD). (HA/VK)