‘NO DEMOCRACY WHEN PRESS SILENCED’
International Press Institute calls for journalist Sedef Kabaş's immediate release
* Photo: Başar Akbulut Yazar / AA
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The International Press Institute (IPI) global network and the IPI's Turkey National Committee have called for the immediate release of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who has been arrested over the weekend for "insulting the President". The IPI has stressed that with Kabaş's arrest, the number of journalists in prison in Turkey rose to 38, according to the IPI figures.
Commenting on Kabaş's arrest, IPI Turkey National Committee Chair Emre Kızılkaya has underlined that there can be no democracy when the press is silenced and briefly stated the following:
Harmless news or undisturbing comments can be made in any country in the world. But in developed democracies, freedom of the press and expression includes the right to receive shocking and disturbing news and comments as well, as has been repeatedly recognized by the European Court of Human Rights. In such democracies, it is expected that public officials must demonstrate a higher tolerance for criticism.
"In its 72 years of operation, IPI has recorded countless press freedom violations in Turkey where politicians tried to silence journalists.
"But journalists have not stayed silent, nor have they given up. All those politicians who endangered democracy for their own sake and position left, but the passion for journalism among new generations has remained infinite. The important thing is solidarity among journalists and readers' appreciation of quality journalism without falling into the trap of cheap politics."
'Abolish the law on insulting the President'
IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen has also condemned the arrest of Kabaş. "Journalists, and indeed all citizens, have the right to criticize their elected officials, even if that criticism is shocking or disturbing to some. That is how democracies work", he has said, briefly adding:
"As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Turkey is bound to respect these long-established principles.
"We call for the immediate release of Sedef Kabaş and the dropping of all charges against her, and we urge Turkey to abolish its law on insulting the president in line with international human rights standards.
We are also disturbed by RTÜK's decision to punish TELE1, which continues the council's pattern of disproportionately targeting independent television broadcasters in Turkey. RTÜK, too, must respect the fundamental right of freedom of expression, and we call on RTÜK to rescind both the fine and the broadcast ban against TELE1.
What happened?The IPI has shared the following background information as to the arrest of Sedef Kabaş for "insulting the President": On January 22, Kabaş was detained during a midnight police raid following critical comments she made about Turkish President Erdoğan on a program aired last week on TV broadcaster TELE1. The police raided Kabaş's home at 2 am and took the journalist into custody for questioning. Prosecutors had opened an investigation shortly after Kabaş made the remarks. In the programme, Kabaş quoted a Circassian proverb on air as follows: "A cow does not become a king as it ascends to a palace, but the palace becomes a barn." Kabaş added, "There is a very famous proverb that says that a crowned head becomes wiser. But we see it is not true." Following the programme, a number of governmental officials, including Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, reacted on their social media accounts condemning Kabaş's remarks. Following Minister Gül's statement saying that these words go "beyond the limit", "stem from hatred", and "shall find a response in front of justice", Kabaş was arrested on a charge of "insulting the president". Prior to Kabaş's arrest, Ebubekir Şahin, president of Turkey's Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK), said that the RTÜK had also initiated a probe into TELE1 regarding Kabaş's remarks. During the Council meeting held on January 24, RTÜK issued a 5 percent revenue fine against TELE1 due to the statements and issued a five-day broadcasting ban on the programme. After TELE1 journalist Uğur Dündar criticized RTÜK over the decision, the body issued another 3 percent revenue fine against the channel. |
(HA/SD)