Newsletter: Growing pressure and stronger support for journalists in Turkey

Journalists and media workers in Turkey regularly face heavy pressure when carrying out their duties. Since January 2016, many local journalists working for IMC TV and DIHA as well as foreign correspondents (Politiken in Denmark) have been attacked, arrested or deported because of their coverage of the Kurdish situation in Southeastern Turkey. Italian colleagues from FNSI organised a protest action in Rome to support prosecuted Turkish journalists who published Charlie Hebdo’s covers. An international coalition  of leading free expression and press freedom organisation (including EFJ-IFJ) called for the release of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül imprisoned for the publication of investigative stories revealing arms traffic to Syria. Both journalists were released on 26 February. The EFJ-IFJ received the visit of journalist Füsun Erdogan and will support her upcoming case for a fair trial at the Court of Appeal in Ankara. The EFJ-IFJ also condemned the attack against pro-governmental newspapers Yeni Safak and Yeni Akit, supported the visit of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to the Silivri detention center to support jailed journalists and will send a mission to the upcoming court hearings in March. Read more