The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European
group the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today condemned Turkish
police raids into the homes of nine
journalists this morning in Istanbul, saying they represent a serious violation
of the confidentiality of journalists' sources.
According
to the Turkish Journalists' Syndicate, an EFJ/IFJ affiliate, police raided and
searched the homes of nine journalists, Ahmet ??k, Nedim ?ener, Do?an Yurdakul,
Mümtaz ?dil, ?klim Bayraktar, Sait K?l?ç, Müyesser Y?ld?z, Yalç?n Küçük and Ayd?n B?y?kl? who
are under police supervision and facing
arrest. Police also confiscated the journalists' computers and notebooks.
"We
condemn this outrageous violation of a cardinal principle of press freedom,"
said Arne König, EFJ President. "This attack on protection
of journalists' sources is a blatant
violation of free expression under the European Convention of Human Rights which has
been ratified by Turkey."
The raids come just two
weeks after a court jailed three journalists of Oda TV, belonging to the opposition. But Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdo?an continues to deny that there is any government attempt to
silence journalists.
"These denials are just not credible," said Aidan
White, IFJ/EFJ General Secretary. "The authorities are clearly embarked on a
campaign to discipline dissent and to stifle free speech in Turkey."
The
IFJ says that today's raids targeted investigative journalists known for
exposing malpractice, such as reporters Nedim ?ener and Do?an Yurdakul. ?ener, who works for Milliyet and Posta newspapers, published
several news articles and books about the murder of Hrant Dink, a prominent
Turkish journalist and editor of Agos newspaper who was killed in 2007. Ahmet
??k, faces charges for co-authoring
a
book critical of the the crackdown on the so-called Ergenekon network.
The Turkish Freedom for Journalists
Platform, which includes the Turkish Syndicate, is organising a public debate at
Taksim Square on Friday to denounce the latest attack on media.
The EFJ recently pressed the
European Parliament and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Füle, to raise
the threats to journalists with the Turkish government. The latest actions have
done little to calm the media scene where many journalists live increasingly in
fear and the EFJ will continue to press the EU to act. The EFJ with the Turkish Journalists Syndicate
has again called for the immediate and unconditional release of more than 60
journalists currently in Turkish jails for doing their job. http://europe.ifj.org/en/articles/efj-urges-turkey-free-jailed-journalists-now
For more information contact the EFJ at 32 2
235 2200
The EFJ
represents over 250,000 journalists in over 30 countries.
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- EFJ Condemns Police Raid as Turkey Tries to Discipline Dissent in Journalism