Why Nigerian Journalists Don't Welcome Turkey's President Erdoğan

Suleiman Uba Gaya*

With the frontline role the Nigerian press played in bringing about democracy in Nigeria and in defending and sustaining this, the last thing it values is having on this shores a man like Erdoğan, in whose eyes and heart such contribution aggregates to nothing.

Today, in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja, two leaders of contrasting personalities are going to meet under the banner of international diplomacy. President Muhammadu Buhari is going to play host to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, who is embarking on a tour of three West African countries, Nigeria inclusive.

Whereas Buhari has made the fight against corruption and transparency the cornerstones of his administration, Erdoğan has, in the words of World Editors Forum chosen to "convert Turkey to the worst prison for independent journalists." This, he started since the independent media launched an intensive investigative reporting that uncovered large-scale fraud and corruption involving some members of his government, with the first such reports published on December 17, 2013.

The same day Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in as democratically elected president of Nigeria, the European Association of Judges (EAJ) released a damning report that condemned Erdoğan for foisting a regime of tyranny in Turkey, dismissing 49 judges basically bacause they passed judgements in favor of adherents of free speech he desperately wanted to jail. And this was a month after the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on judicial and constitutional reform issues, harshly criticized Turkey on June 20, 2015. The Venice Commission said it had found "serious interference with the independence of judiciary in Turkey."

And on June 2, 2015, in far away Washington DC, the World Editors Forum and the World Association of Newspapers issued a strong-worded statement in the form of a petition condemning Erdoğan for making life most miserable for independent journalists in his country. As a Nigerian delegate to that conference, I was privileged to be a signatory to that petition, which was co-signed by seven hundred other top media personalities from 80 different countries of the world and sent to President Erdoğan.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, another major group advocating press freedom said "Turkish authorities are using never-before-seen methods to stiffle dissent in the country. Scores of journalists are either behind bars or facing criminal charges over their reporting in Turkey."

Similarly, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the apex body of the journalism profession in Nigeria, had on two major occasions last year issued communiques strongly condemning President Erdoğan and asking him to ensure freedom of the press in Turkey, as well as to free of all journalists jailed by his government.

Western governments and international press advocacy groups have accused Turkey of suppressing dissent and muzzling critics, forcing the sale of newspapers to government-friendly businessmen and exploiting laws to lock up journalists. The Reporters Without Borders, the world's largest press advocacy group, ranks Turkey 159th out of 170 countries surveyed, while Freedom House classified Turkey "not free" in its latest press freedom index. The Committee to Protect Journalists, another major group advocating press freedom said "Turkish authorities are using never-before-seen methods to stiffle dissent in the country. Scores of journalists are either behind bars or facing criminal charges over their reporting in Turkey."

The report said severe restrictions and censorship over the last few years have resulted in government essentially controlling or running most of the media, explaining that many media outlets avoid publishing or broadcasting anything seriously critical of the government, even if these serve public interest.

Investigation has shown that Erdoğan has achieved these by intimidating media enterprises that have other financial interests, and hence, depend on the government for permits, licenses, etc. Many media establishments that could not withstand the heat have been forced to become propaganda megaphones of the government of the day, leading the campaign to defame and label voices critical of the government.

The global outrage occasioned by his highhandedness served nothing in dissuading President Erdoğan to change from his bad ways. In less than a month, the government succeeded in seizing two major news channels and two newspapers. Seventeen television stations were also shut down, and several journalists arrested.

Today's Zaman, the largest selling newspaper in Turkey, whose daily circulation is one million copies, is being severely harassed, with some of its top editors arrested because it is owned by people sympathetic to the Hizmet (Gulen) Movement. So also the Cihan News Agency, the Samanyolu Broadcasters, as well as the Journalists and Writers Foundation, which has been in the forefront of campaign against according prominence to dastardly acts of terrorists, including publishing stories about their heroics on the front pages of newspapers. The Foundation believes, and rightly so, that such publications always give terrorists a psychological edge. The sweeping media crackdown is aimed at ensuring organizations like the Cihan, a reputable news agency through which the rest of the world gets authentic news about Turkey, close shop or are forced to be administered by pro-Erdoğan trustees.

In February last year, a columnist for the Milliyet newspaper, Nuray Mert, was sacked and her television show cancelled because she was publicly singled out for criticism by the Prime Minister. Similarly, a conservative columnist for the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, a certain Ali Akel, was fired for daring to write a rare, critical article about Erdoğan's handling of the Kurdish issue. For the last few years, Turkey has been jailing more journalists than any other country on the surface of the earth.

The global outrage occasioned by his highhandedness served nothing in dissuading President Erdoğan to change from his bad ways. In less than a month, the government succeeded in seizing two major news channels and two newspapers. Seventeen television stations were also shut down, and several journalists arrested. During the raid on Zaman newspaper, riot policemen came with water canons and a helicopter hovering above the media house in a clear act of intimidation.

Late October 2015 also, İpek Media Group was raided by police and the authorities took over the media outlets. Said Cemal: "On that day, the legal system was razed to the ground. Freedom was desecrated. Media independence was held in complete disdain. The right to property was hijacked. The authorities wanted to silence journalists and cast a shadow over their world."

The government seizes media houses under the false pretext that by publishing the truth, they are engaged in crime against the state. But Article 30 of the Turkish Constitution says "a printing house and its annexes, duly established as a press enterprise under law, and press equipment shall not be seized, confiscated, or barred from operation on the grounds of having been used in a crime."

Hasan Cemal, in a symposium on press freedom last year, said he is now 71 years old and has been an active journalist for 47 years. "I have witnessed military coups. I have seen my newspaper being shut down several times. I have lost friends to political murders. Many of my colleagues spent time in prison, many were subjected to torture". But the heartache he felt last month was like "none I had felt before." He said he witnessed a television station (Bugun TV) and two dailies (Bugun and Millet) raided by order of the state. Late October 2015 also, İpek Media Group was raided by police and the authorities took over the media outlets. Said Cemal: "On that day, the legal system was razed to the ground. Freedom was desecrated. Media independence was held in complete disdain. The right to property was hijacked. The authorities wanted to silence journalists and cast a shadow over their world."

With the frontline role the Nigerian press played in bringing about democracy in Nigeria and in defending and sustaining this, the last thing it values is having on this shores a man like Erdoğan, in whose eyes and heart such contribution aggregates to nothing.

*Vice President (North) of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

Published on Premium Times Nigeria, 1 March 2016, Tuesday

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