In Erdogan's Turkey, the press is arrested, fined, and censored
Sedef Kabas, accused of using a famous proverb to insult President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was remanded into custody by a Turkish court this weekend.
The famous reporter was arrested on 22 January at two o'clock in the morning by police officers at the Istanbul police headquarters. In the following day's proceedings, the judge ordered her arrest based on a law that has landed tens of thousands of people in prison in recent years.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks Turkey 153rd out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, following a series of arrests, repressions, prison sentences, and fines against critical voices. Additionally, the Independent Communication Network (Bia) released its 2021 annual report yesterday, showing that 35 journalists were sentenced by judges last year to a total of 92 years, six months, and 24 days in prison.
As many as 41 Turkish journalists have been imprisoned over the last year, bringing the total for the last five years to 270. Those who disagree with official propaganda are not only threatened with jail but also with dismissal: 79 journalists lost their jobs in 2021, for a total of 807 between 2017 and 2021. In addition, there has been censorship, with at least 975 articles blocked in the last year and 5,975 in the past five years.
Besides imprisonment, there are personal attacks and targeted violence against journalists: in 2021, 56 journalists were attacked (141 in five years). A recent example is the murder of Hazım Özsu in front of his Bursa home by someone who "did not appreciate" his judgments and comments.
Lastly, there are fines levied against broadcasters and press organizations that do not follow government policy. A total of 158 administrative ends and 48 suspended programs were imposed by the Supreme Council for Radio and Television (Rtuk), for an amount of over two million euros in administrative ends.
At the government's request, the Turkish judiciary represses with particularly fierce force any voice critical or "defamatory" of Erdogan. In the year since his election to the presidency in 2014, at least 70 journalists have been tried and sentenced to prison and fines for "insulting the president" under Article 299 of the Penal Code. Ankara has repeatedly been asked - in vain - to withdraw or at least amend the rule, which continues to be applied with extreme rigor and continuity.
* This article contains information sourced from Asianews.it
