We Want Freedom of Expression!
3 May 2024
In 1993, the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing May 3 as World Press Freedom Day.
According to a study conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in 2003, the Turkish state ranks third in the world in terms of attacks on journalists.
Journalists, especially dissident journalists, have always been under pressure in the lands we live in. Many journalists have been murdered and to date the perpetrators have not been identified or apprehended.
During the prevention of the weekly demonstration of the Saturday Mothers in Galatasaray Square by law enforcement forces and the governorate, many press workers were subjected to police violence and one press worker suffered a broken finger.
2023, like other years, has been a year full of repression for opposition journalists, especially Kurdish journalists. Last week, 9 Kurdish journalists were detained and 3 were arrested in an Istanbul-based operation. Among the arrested journalists, Mesopotamia Agency reporter Esra Solin Dal was subjected to strip search at Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison.
The police made an anti-Semitic racist remark to AFP video reporter Eylül Deniz Yaşar, who was detained while covering the Newroz celebrations in Yenikapı, saying “Pray that we didn’t turn you into soap like the Jews,” revealing how problematic the situation of journalists is.
According to the BIA Media Monitoring report, in three months at least 195 journalists were put on trial, 11 journalists were detained, 4 journalists were attacked, 41 journalistic content was banned from access, state-run Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) imposed fines of 42 million, 10 journalists were left unemployed, and 76 journalists have faced “Erdoğan sentences” in the last decade.
1 May Labor Day celebrations, which were celebrated with enthusiasm all over the country yesterday, turned the whole city into an open prison in Istanbul with the governorate’s bans resembling the state of emergency. The police intervened with tear gas and rubber bullets against the crowd gathered in Saraçhan and press workers who wanted to cover police brutality were beaten by the police. A police chief’s words “sweep the press away” in the footage captured on the cameras was a confirmation of the torture. Journalists Fatoş Erdoğan and Umut Taştan were injured when they tried to cover the police violence.
Yes, today is World Press Freedom Day.
In the land we live in, freedom of expression remains problematic. When the red lines of the official ideology, the Kurdish issue, the Armenian genocide or the military presence in Cyprus were brought up for discussion, we were always confronted with a state structure that could not tolerate different opinions. This structure continues today. However, in terms of freedom of expression, especially in the last 5 years, we have been experiencing a more difficult process than ever before.
However, the Constitution, domestic law and especially the international conventions signed by the Republic of Turkey have important regulations on freedom of expression.
Since the Republic of Turkey is not a state of law, there is always a major difference between the written law and practice. Therefore, we are experiencing great problems in terms of freedom of expression.
Not only journalists but also people from many segments of society can be detained and arrested for their social media posts.
In order to solve the problems and fundamental issues in our land, first and foremost, freedom of expression must be ensured and the bans on speech must be lifted.
Therefore, as human rights defenders, we reiterate our calls for freedom of expression on the occasion of the United Nations World Press Freedom Day for Musa Anter, Metin Göktepe, Hrant Dink, Kadri Bağdu, and all murdered journalists.
Human Rights Association