Report: Turkish regime judges 70 journalists every month
A Turkish court this weekend ordered the remand in custody pending trial of the journalist Sedef Kabas, accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan using a famous proverb.
On 22 January, at two o’clock in the morning, officers detained the famous reporter, locking her up in a cell at police headquarters in Istanbul. The next day she appeared before the judges, who ordered her arrest using an article of law that has put tens of thousands of people in prison before her in recent years.
During a TV broadcast on a station close to the oppositions (and in a subsequent tweet), the journalist used a Circassian proverb that reads: “The ox does not become a king because it enters the palace, rather the palace becomes a stable”, making a comparison with President Erdogan’s years in power. According to the court, Sedef Kabas expressed a ‘vulgar insult’ against the president and the institutional office he holds.
The case is just the latest in a long line of arrests, repressions, prison sentences and fines against critical voices in Turkey, further confirming Turkey’s 153rd place out of a total of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index. In addition, the Independent Communication Network (Bia) released its 2021 annual report yesterday, according to which 35 journalists were sentenced by judges last year to a total of 92 years, six months and 24 days in jail.
In addition to imprisonment, there are personal attacks and targeted violence against the press: in 2021, 56 journalists were victims of violence (141 in five years). One example is the death of Hazım Özsu, who worked in a radio station in Bursa, who was killed in front of his home by a person who “did not appreciate” his judgments and comments.
In the last 12 months, at least 41 Turkish journalists have been imprisoned, bringing the total figure for the last five years to 270. Not only jail, but there is also the threat of dismissal for those who do not align themselves with official propaganda: in 2021 79 journalists lost their jobs, for a total of 807 in the period 2017-2021. There is also the axe of censorship, with at least 975 articles blocked in the last year and 5,975 in the last five years.
Finally, there are the fines imposed on broadcasters and press organizations “not aligned” with government policy and official proclamations. The Supreme Council for Radio and TV (Rtuk) imposed 158 administrative fines and suspended 48 programmes, with total fines of 31,630,000 Turkish liras (more than two million euro).
The Turkish judiciary, at the instigation of the government, represses with particular force any voice critical or “defamatory” of Erdogan. Since 2014, the year of his ascension to the presidency, at least 70 journalists have been tried and sentenced to prison and fines for “insulting the president” under Article 299 of the Penal Code. The European Council has repeatedly asked – in vain – Ankara to cancel or at least amend the rule, which continues to be applied with extreme rigour and continuity.
