Expression Interrupted

Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.

Journalists in State of Emergency - 27

Journalists in State of Emergency - 27

Number of journalists in prison reaches 142 with the arrest of nine Cumhuriyet journalists

Nine executives and writers of the Cumhuriyet daily, including Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, one of the founders of P24 Platform for Independent Journalism, were put under arrest on Nov. 5 on terrorism charges.

Those arrested were Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, Editorial Advisor Kadri Gürsel, Chief Editor of the paper’s book supplement Turhan Günay, Cartoonist Musa Kart, columnist Güray Tekin Öz, columnist Hakan Karasinir and Cumhuriyet Foundation board members Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Önder Çelik and Bülent Utku.

The nine Cumhuriyet journalists were detained on Oct. 31 on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of the terrorist organizations Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Fethuhallist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PYD),” the name given by the Turkish president and judiciary to supporters of Fethullah Gülen, a US based Islamic preacher, who Turkish authorities allege was behind the coup attempt of July 15.

Two accountants of the newspaper, Günseli Özaltay and Bülent Yener, who were also detained on Oct. 31, were released. Two other detainees -- columnists Aydın Engin and Hikmet Çetinkaya -- were let go on probation, with authorities citing old age and the two writers’ health condition as the reason for their release.

The newspaper’s former Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board President Akın Atalay, who are currently abroad, are also wanted in the investigation.

The Cumhuriyet operation has created a strong backlash both at home and abroad. Thousands gathered outside the newspaper’s office in İstanbul’s Şişli district. Fourteen leading global rights and freedom of expression groups released a statement addressed to the Turkish president calling for the immediate release of the detained journalists. Consuls representing EU countries visited the newspaper’s office to show solidarity. On Nov. 5, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) convened an emergency meeting of its Central Steering Committee (MYK) after the arrests.

Other detentions, internet blockage and arrests

Outside the Cumhuriyet probe, the İzmir correspondent of the JINHA news agency Ayşe Yılmaz was detained by police in İzmir on Nov. 4.

The Cumhuriyet arrests come one day after nine deputies from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including the party’s co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksdağ, were arrested and sent to prison.

The ambassadors of EU countries to Ankara held an emergency meeting in the aftermath the arrests of the HDP deputies and Cumhuriyet journalists on Nov. 5.

On Nov. 5, the Information Technologies and Communications Council (BTK) sent an order to the country’s Internet Service Providers, telling them to shut down access to VPN services, used to circumvent Internet access bans. Those the BTK demanded that be closed down were: The Tor Project, VPN Master, Hotspot Shield VPN, Psiphon, Zenmate VPN, TunnelBear, Zero VPN, VyprVPN, Private Internet Access VPN, Express VPN and IPVanish VPN; the most widely used VPN services by Turkish users.

The BTK order comes one day after Turkey experienced a nationwide Internet blockage. On Nov. 4, access to all social media services, including the messaging service Whatssapp, were blocked inTurkey. In the final week of October, many Eastern and Southeastern provinces, primarily Diyarbakır, had experienced Internet blockages. Access bans in Turkey are common and it is well-known that authorities use Internet throttling extensively to keep  users offline, hoping that such throttling would lead to less reaction than outright blockages.

Two outlets allowed to resume broadcasts

YÖN Radio, a left-leaning radio station, and children’s television station Zarok TV, which were shut down under a prime ministry decree in late October, were allowed to resume broadcasts on Nov. 5. However, Zarok TV, a Kurdish-language children’s network, will have to ensure that 40 percent of its broadcasts are in Turkish.

With the return of Zarok and Yön, the number of media outlets shut down under Turkey’s State of Emergency has dropped to 166 from 168.
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