RSF Report: Journalism in death throes after six months of emergency in Turkey

In this release, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) examines the persecution of Turkey’s journalists and media under the state of emergency proclaimed exactly six months ago today, and urges Turkey’s national assembly to repeal all the decree-laws that are incompatible with its constitution and its international obligations.

In the increasingly arbitrary clampdown on media freedom during the past six months, the authorities have jailed around 100 journalists without trial, closed 149 media outlets, rescinded 775 press cards, withdrawn journalists’ passports and seized their assets without justification.

In a letter sent today to the national assembly’s commission of enquiry into human rights, RSF asks Turkey’s parliamentarians to repeal the decree-laws issued under the state of emergency. A detailed legal analysis accompanying the letter shows that the decrees are unconstitutional and incompatible with Turkey’s international obligations.

“After six months of this state of emergency, journalism is dying in Turkey,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “Pluralism is in the process of being destroyed and the remaining media outlets live under a permanent threat, in a climate of fear and intimidation fuelled by certain leaders’ comments. It is time to end these arbitrary practices and return to the constitution’s guarantees of media freedom.”

Four months after its report entitled “State of emergency opens way to arbitrary rule,” RSF has conducted the following new evaluation of the increasingly arbitrary methods used by Turkey’s authorities against critical journalists.

Source: Journalism in death throes after six months of emergency | RSF