20 journalists arrested in first nine months of this year, says report penned by CHP lawmaker
A report penned by CHP lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu has said that 29 journalists, writers and publishers have received jail terms during January-September period of this year, 20 of whom have been arrested. "The animosity against journalists that is on the rise during the AKP rule is due to the government's stance against freedom of press,” Tanrıkulu said.
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Sezgin Tanrıkulu, a human rights lawyers and a deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has said that 29 journalists, writers and publishers have received jail terms during January-September period of this year, 20 of whom have been arrested.
Tanrıkulu made the remarks in a report named “Freedom of Expression Violations Report for January-September 2020,” daily Evrensel reported on Oct. 22. Tanrıkulu said that in 2020 alone, 57 journalists have been prosecuted, 65 journalists have been detained, and 20 journalists have been attacked.
The attacks and threats against journalists are on the rise in recent years, especially during the reign of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), said Tanrıkulu. “The animosity against journalists that is on the rise during the AKP rule is due to the government's stance against freedom of press,” he said.
At least 347 online news article banned in last three months
The report said that at least 347 online news articles have been censored in the last three months in Turkey, basing this figure on a statement released by Reporters Without Borders.
“The number of banned and removed online news articles has reached thousands. The ban decisions taken through the courts have been preventing to make news with regards to incidents and people,” the report read.
Among the banned news articles are those discussing workplace accidents, corruption allegations, violence against women and rape cases, said the report.
Tanrıkulu said that hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts in 2020. The number of people who have been detained for allegedly sharing “false and provocative” social media postings concerning the coronavirus outbreak was 410 as of March 25, said Tanrıkulu.
“In many incidents, it is not possible to follow from the news how many people have been detained or how many of them have received jail terms. Therefore, the difficulty, even the impossibility of reaching data with regards to situations that are within the framework of 'violation of freedom of expression' should be considered as a 'violation of freedom of expression,' itself” he said.