The Media’s 3 Months: 186 Journalists Fired

186 journalists were laid off with or without justification, and some being forced to resign, in the April-May June 2014 period. The ownership structure of the media continues to increase the power, primarily Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the government to intervene in editorial freedom.

65 journalists had been laid off last year in the same period. 384 journalists were laid off or forced to resign between July 2013 and the end of June 2014.

The new National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and Telecommunications Authority of Turkey (TİB) laws together with the Anti-terror law came down with all their weight on journalism practices.

23 journalists entered July 2014 in prison. 54 reporters, local newspapers and Internet sites experienced assault. Impunity continues to dominate the outcomes of attacks on reporters / the media.

According to the BİA April-May-June 2014 Survey Report, Turkey is entering July 24, Press Freedom Day and the 106^th year of the publication of the first uncensored newspaper in this condition.

Headlines from the survey

BİA Survey Report presents the April-May-June period with the headlines, “murdered journalists”, “incarcerated journalists”, “detentions”, “attacks, threats and bans”, “investigations, opened-ongoing lawsuits, verdicts”, “insults, personal rights and indemnity cases”, “interdictions, closures, withdrawals”, “ECHR” and “RTÜK”.

14 of 23 imprisoned from Kurdish media

23 journalists and 14 distributers entered July 2014 in prison. 14 of the journalists and all 14 distributors are from the Kurdish media; they are behind bars for ties with “illegal organizations” as covered by the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) and the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). 66 journalists and 27 distributors were behind bars last year at the same time.

14 of the 23 journalists is incarcerated for the lawsuits, “Group of Communities in Kurdistan-Turkey” (KCK), “PKK” and “DYG”; others are for the cases of “Marxist Leninist Communist Party” (MLKP); “The Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front” (DHKP-C); “The Resistance Movement”, “Communist/Leninist Labor Party of Turkey” (TKEP/L); and İBDA-C. One cartoonist is incarcerated for insulting Adnan Oktar, and one journalist on the charge of “espionage”. 18 of 23 journalists are sentenced and the lawsuits of 5 are ongoing.  

15 new cases for the TMK

15 new lawsuits were filed against Özgür Gündem newspaper managing editor Reyhan Çapan and weekly Demokratik Ulus newspaper managing editor Arafat Dayan since April for contravening the Anti-Terror Law’s articles 6/2 or 7/2.

Increase in attacks and impunity

54 journalists, one local newspaper, one Internet news site were assaulted and one journalist verbally attacked, all within the three months; five journalists and one newspaper were threatened. At least 40 assaults against 34 journalists, one newspaper, one agency and one Internet site had taken place in the period January-March 2014.

91 reporters had been assaulted and verbally attacked in the same period of 2013, which coincided with the Gezi Resistance, and 3 had been threatened. Nothing was done about the security forces that injured 153 and detained 39 journalists in the period May 27-September 30, 2013 when Gezi had flared up.

277,000 Liras for damages to Erdoğan

A columnist and a cartoonist were sentenced to a total of 1 year 5 months in jail in these three months. A writer and a student were fined 8,740 TL in total. The total penalty given in the same period of 2013 was 1 year 2 months incarceration and 13,500 TL.  

38 people were sentenced to a total of 2 months 15 days in jail and 277,400 TL in fines for “insulting and attacking the personal rights of” Prime Minister Erdoğan. Aydınlık newspaper had been fined 30,000 TL last year in the same period for insulting the Prime Minister through caricatures.

Closings, withdrawals!

Courts introduced URL based access bans on 15 news sites including bianet. One dating site was blocked. A broadcast ban was imposed on ISIS’ kidnapping of 49 people from Turkey’s Mosul Consulate General. The painting, “Maraş Massacre” was removed from exhibition; two newspapers were sealed. One journalist was banned from entering Soma district. The advertisement banner of journalist Nedim Şener’s book was censored.

55,259 Euro fine from the ECHR

In these three months, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sentenced Turkey to pay 5 journalists, 2 academicians, and 4 arrestees victimized by the prohibition of Kurdish in jail a total of 55,259 Euro (approximately 159,200 TL) in pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages for violating article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights regulating freedom of expression, and for lack of fair trial in these cases.

In the same period last year, ECHR had sentenced Turkey to pay 29,223 TL in fines for the violation of two arrested journalists’ “right to freedom”.  

RTÜK: 133 fines to TV channels

Radio Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), gave television institutions 28 warnings and 133 fines for their news and programs, and radio institutions 3 warnings and 3 monetary fines between April and June 2014 (EÖ/PU).

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso and its partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. The project's page: Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Support Network for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe.