Though the number of jailed journalists in Turkey declined slightly, from 110 at the beginning of 2019 to 91 by the close of the year (94 on this date), Turkey remains a highly repressive environment for journalists. Turkish authorities and courts continue to deliberately link critical journalism with terrorist activity.
The IFJ and EFJ call on EU leaders to put pressure on Turkey in order to put an end to the politicization of the courts, to reform anti-terror legislation, and to restore democratic norms. The European commission and council should use the negotiations about the 2020 Enlargement Package to improve the state of rule of law in Turkey.