Independent journalism struggling for survival in Turkey on World Press Freedom Day

Turkish journalists marked World Press Freedom Day on Sunday under a cloud of diminishing press freedom in Turkey amid growing threats to their profession as they face unprecedented and constant attacks on their independence and safety.

Observed annually on May 3, World Press Freedom Day is promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to address current challenges and solutions. The theme of this year's press freedom day is “Let Journalism Thrive! Towards better reporting, gender equality and media safety in the digital age.”

Far from thriving, free and independent journalism is apparently battling to survive in Turkey as not one day seems to pass without journalists' facing the most severe forms of repression: A number of them are either in jail, losing their jobs or dealing with legal charges rained down on them by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

Turkish journalists face threats and intimidation not only from Erdoğan and the AK Party government but also from their advocates in the media.

On Saturday Cem Küçük, a columnist for the Star daily who is known for his threatening and aggressive language, used his column to call on the authorities to seize or freeze the assets of media outlets owned by people motivated by the ideas of Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the Gülen or Hizmet movement.

Erdoğan and the AK Party government launched a battle against the movement after a corruption probe went public on Dec. 17, 2013, implicating senior members of the government, sons of three now-former ministers and government-affiliated figures. They accuse the movement of establishing a “parallel state” and plotting to topple the government, while the movement strongly denies the charges.

Describing the movement as a terrorist organization despite a complete lack of any evidence substantiating the claim, Küçük wrote that because a terrorist organization would not be allowed to have media outlets, the necessary action needs to be taken.

He called the movement a “clear and present danger,” adding that the bureaucracy needs to take immediate action to seize the media outlets, such as Zaman, Bugün and Samanyolu TV, which are owned by people inspired by Gülen, and to cut their finances. Küçük also cited a number of laws that he claimed would provide the legal basis for such action.

On Sunday, to mark World Press Freedom Day, veteran journalists gathered in the old newspaper neighborhood of Cağaloğlu, İstanbul where they lamented the desperate state of Turkish media due to the oppression enforced by the AK Party that has brought the profession of journalism to a near impossible state.

Various press organizations, including the Press Union of the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK), the Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC), Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS), Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP) and Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) convened for Sunday's conference with veteran journalists such as Doğan Tılıç, Turgay Olcayto, Ahmet Abakay, Uğur Güç and Faruk Eren in attendance.

“Freedom of the press allows the public to be informed, to learn the truth and reality of what is happening, and prevents people from being left in the dark. Journalists are in very difficult positions right now with bans via court decisions, accreditation [issues] and both censorship and automatic self-censorship. Unfortunately, with this the rights of the public are being constrained,” explained TGC President Turgay Olcayto.

TGS President Uğur Güç, who talked about the lack of press freedom in Turkey, said there are currently 21 jailed journalists and hundreds of journalists spending their working hours attending court hearings to give their testimony. “Every day, there are new court cases being filed against journalists,” Güç emphasized.

For his part, DİSK President Faruk Eren accused the government of trying to enforce who can and cannot be journalists.

A statement was released by the Platform for Independent Journalism (P24) on World Press Freedom Day arguing that the day has become a day not to celebrate, but to reflect and mourn. Referring to the journalists who are in jail, the statement said the real victims of the restrictions on journalists are not only journalists but the society they are no longer able to serve.

“By drawing a noose around the media, Turkey is losing the ability to unite, solve its problems and plan ahead. When Turkey emerged from the indignity of martial law in the 1980s, when it developed private television and a freer press, the rallying cry was “konuşan Türkiye” [Turkey speaks] -- a nation, able to raise its voice. On May 3, we spare a thought for a nation loosing the ability to converse, even with itself,” it added.

"Journalism in Turkey is in the intensive care unit," noted P24's statement.

Crackdown on independent media

There is already immense government pressure on media organs owned by people inspired by Gülen's ideas. Along with Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca was taken into custody on Dec. 14, 2014, as part of a government-backed police operation. While Dumanlı was released pending trial, Karaca was arrested and still remains in jail on suspicion of being a member of an armed organization. The charges against him are based on a fictional TV series that was broadcast a few years ago. Despite a court ruling last month, which called for the release of Karaca and 63 police officers arrested, then detained in government-orchestrated operations, they were not released. To compound matters, the judges who ruled their release were suspended and subsequently arrested in an apparent sign of growing political pressure on members of the judiciary in Turkey.

However, it is not only journalists who work for media outlets owned by people inspired by Gülen's ideas that face prosecution and persecution at the hands of the government and Erdoğan. Dozens of other journalists also face legal action over charges of insulting Erdoğan or government officials in their newspaper articles, or on social media.

Sedef Kabaş, a TV presenter, is facing a prison sentence of up to five years for posting a tweet about a corruption probe involving high-profile individuals. Another journalist, Mehmet Baransu, is being held under arrest for publishing state documents, with the charge of revealing secret documents linked to national security. Columnist Mümtaz'er Türköne is facing legal charges due to his criticism of President Erdoğan and ruling AK Party members. Osman Özsoy was fired from the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily last year due to his critical stance against the government in the wake of the Dec. 17 graft probe. Özsoy announced on his Twitter account last Wednesday that he had been detained by counterterrorism police officers while disembarking a ferry in İstanbul for remarks he had made on a TV show last Tuesday.

Journalists barred from pursuing profession

In addition, some media outlets and journalists in Turkey that are critical of the government or President Erdoğan are subjected to a controversial accreditation ban and barred from covering events attended by any government official or Erdoğan.

There are claims that Erdoğan and the AK Party government aim to avoid being asked tough questions by critical journalists on a range of controversial issues by preventing these journalists from covering events they attend.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took the opportunity in a speech he delivered at a General Assembly meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) of Turkey on Saturday to draw attention to the government's controversial accreditation practice. The practice was also in place at that meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and other government members.

Referring to a speech delivered by Davutoğlu at the meeting, in which the prime minister talked about the importance of democracy, Kılıçdaroğlu recalled that the government had barred some journalists and TV channels from covering the event.

“This is not fair practice. There cannot be true democracy in a country whose media is not free. The raison d'être of democracy is the freedom of the media,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in his speech.

Turkey's poor grades on press freedom

The growing sanctions faced by independent journalists in Turkey and the tightening government grip on the free media have made their way into the reports of international media watchdogs, which have criticized Turkey's current level of press freedom.

The reports announced ahead of World Press Freedom Day indicate that press freedoms have considerably degraded. Freedom House's 2015 report referred to Turkey as a country where the press is "not free." According to the report, Turkey performed worse in this area last year than at any time in the past 10 years. It stressed that many journalists were targeted, threatened and arrested.

A year ago, in the 2014 report, Turkey had for the first time been demoted from one of the "partially free” countries to the "not free” countries. The 2015 report also noted that Turkey is among the countries where the rate of deterioration of press freedoms was the highest. Turkey is now the only country in Europe where the press is not free. The Turkish press is now considered to be more restricted than its traditionally less democratic counterparts in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

In the meantime, veteran journalists gathered in the old newspaper neighborhood of Cağaloğlu, İstanbul on Sunday to mark World Press Freedom Day where they lamented the desperate state of Turkish media due to the oppression enforced by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that has brought the profession of journalism to a near impossible state.

Various press organizations, including the Press Union of the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK), the Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC), Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS), Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP) and Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) convened for Sunday's conference with veteran journalists such as Doğan Tılıç, Turgay Olcayto, Ahmet Abakay, Uğur Güç and Faruk Eren in attendance.

“Freedom of the press allows the public to be informed, to learn the truth and reality of what is happening, and prevents people from being left in the dark. Journalists are in very difficult positions right now with bans via court decisions, accreditation [issues] and both censorship and automatic self-censorship. Unfortunately, with this the rights of the public are being constrained,” explained TGC President Turgay Olcayto.

TGS President Uğur Güç, who talked about the lack of press freedom in Turkey, said there are currently 21 jailed journalists and hundreds of journalists spending their working hours attending court hearings to give their testimony. “Every day, there are new court cases being filed against journalists,” Güç emphasized.

For his part, DİSK President Faruk Eren accused the government of trying to enforce who can and cannot be journalists.

A statement was released by the Platform for Independent Journalism (P24) on World Press Freedom Day arguing that the day has become a day not to celebrate, but to reflect and mourn. Referring to the journalists who are in jail, the statement said the real victims of the restrictions on journalists are not only journalists but the society they are no longer able to serve.

“By drawing a noose around the media, Turkey is losing the ability to unite, solve its problems and plan ahead. When Turkey emerged from the indignity of martial law in the 1980s, when it developed private television and a freer press, the rallying cry was “konuşan Türkiye” [Turkey speaks] -- a nation, able to raise its voice. On May 3, we spare a thought for a nation loosing the ability to converse, even with itself,” it added.

Journalists march for press freedom

Press organizations held a march from the tunnel in Taksim, İstanbul to Galatasaray Square on Sunday to promote freedom of the press on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. Around 100 journalists attended the march along with some opposition deputies.

The journalists held banners that read: “There can be no free society without free journalism,” “Free media cannot be silenced,” “Pressure cannot intimidate us” and “Let jails be evicted, freedom to media.”

An eight-page newspaper printed by the TGS called “Tutuklu Gazete” (Newspaper under Arrest), which included articles by jailed journalists and journalists on trial, was delivered to citizens during the march. A press statement that was read out at the end of the march called on everyone to stand up for press freedom.

Reading a press statement on behalf of the journalists and press organizations attending the march, journalist Doğan Tılıç said: “We say, ‘Freedom is the oxygen of journalism and free journalism is the assurance of democracy.' We emphasize that our struggle for freedom of the press is not only for one profession, but is also the struggle of every citizen that misses a free and democratic Turkey.”

When speaking to reporters Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary-General Gürsel Tekin, who was among the participants of the march, said if there is no press freedom in a country, there is no freedom in that country.

“In developed countries, one of the main sources of the judiciary and the police force is the press. It is a newspaper that forced the former German president to resign. You can clean politics with newspaper reports. If politics in a country is dirty, expecting press freedom there is a dream,” he said.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 03 May 2015, Sunday