According to the tally of the American Committee to Protect Journalists, there are only eight journalists in jail in Turkey. We, as members of the Freedom for Journalists Platform, comprised of 94 national and local media associations, would like to point out that this is a grave error, unless of course it is deliberate deception. We call on the CPJ to correct its mistake.
The incarceration of a single journalist in a country should be seen as an indication of a serious threat directed at the freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
An effort by an international media organization to manipulate numbers and thereby belittle the gravity of the situation in Turkey would cast a dark shadow on the universal struggle for freedom of the press.
We, as the Freedom for Journalists Platform of Turkey, condemn your report claiming that only eight journalists are in jail because of their professional activities.
Accepting your figure as the truth would mean agreeing with those who have charged the remaining 56 (in jail for long periods of time, even though the trials of many are yet to start) with terroristic activities. This would harm those journalists and influence the judicial process.
We, the Freedom for Journalists Platform, oppose anti-democratic policies which destroy the foundations of freedom of thought and expression in Turkey and strengthen the climate of censorship in the media. We fail to comprehend how the CPJ puts itself in the place of a criminal court.
There is one more thing we have failed to understand.
Why has the CPJ refused to use for Turkish journalists the criteria it used in declaring that 42 journalists are in jail in Iran?
We suggest the CPJ take a close look at the reports of the European Security and Cooperation Organization (OSCE) concerning the number of journalists in jail in Turkey.
If the freedom of the press is threatened in one country, the threat applies to all countries.
Our goal in issuing this statement is not only to correct a mistake, but also to send an invitation for greater solidarity among those struggling for press freedom.
FREEDOM FOR JOURNALISTS PLATFORM
Turkish Representative of Association of European Journalists
Europe and Turkish Journalists Association
International Press Institute (IPI) National Committee
Press Council
Association of Contemporary Journalists
Association of Foreign Correspondents
PEN Turkish PEN Center
The Association of Education and Health Reporters
Association of Economy Journalists
Association of Economy Reporters
Association of Newspapers Owners
Association of the Journalists (Ankara)
The Association of the Journalists Foundation
The Union of the Press Broadcasting Communication Postal Workers
The Association of Research of Communication
The Association of İzmir Journalists
The Association of Culture Tourism Environment Journalists
The Association of Parliament Reporters
The Association of the Professional News Cameramen
The Association of the Environment City Journalists
The Association of Turkish Photo Reporters
Turkish Journalists Association
Turkish Federation of Journalists
Turkish Journalists Union
Turkish Sport Reporters Association.
Turkish Publishers Union
Turkish Union of the Writers
The Ugur Mumcu Foundation of Investigative Reporting
Adıyaman Journalists Association, Afyonkarahisar Journalists Association, Aksaray Journalists and Writers Association, Alanya Journalists Association, Anadolu Sport Journalists Association, Antakya Journalists Association, Antalya Journalists Association, Artvin Journalists Association, Aydın Journalists Association, Balıkesir Journalists Association, Bartın Journalists Association, Batman Journalists and Publishers, Bayburt Journalists Association, Bolu Journalists Association, Burdur Journalists Association, Bursa Journalists Association, Reporters of Presidency and Priministry, Çanakkale Journalists Association, Çorum Journalists Association, Çukurova Journalists Association, Denizli Journalists Association, Doğu Anadolu Journalists Association, Düzce Journalists Association, Edirne Journalists Association, Eskişehir Journalists Association, Fırat Havzası Journalists Association, Gaziantep Journalists Association, Giresun Journalists Association, Güneydoğu Journalists Association, Isparta Journalists Association, İskenderun Journalists Association, Karabük Journalists Association, Karaelmas Journalists Association, Karaman Journalists Association, Kars Kuzeydoğu Journalists Association, Kastamonu Journalists Association, Kayseri Journalists Association; Kırıkkale Müstakil Journalists Association, Kırşehir Journalists Association, Kilis Journalists Association, Kocaeli Journalists Association, Konya Journalists Association, Kütahya Journalists Association, Malatya Journalists Association, Manisa Journalists Association, Mersin Journalists Association, Muğla Journalists Association, Nevşehir Journalists Association, Niğde Journalists Association, Ordu Journalists Association, Osmaniye Journalists Association, Radio and Television Journalists Association, Sakarya Journalists Association, Samsun 19 Mayıs Journalists Association, Sinop Journalists Association, Sivas Journalists Association, Şanlıurfa GAP Journalists Association, Tokat Journalists Association, Trabzon Journalists Association, Trakya Journalists Association, Tunceli Journalists Association, Turkish News Cameramen Association, Uşak Faal Journalists Association, Yalova Journalists Association, Yozgat Journalists Writers Association, Zonguldak Journalists Association
Click here to read the statement in Turkish. Translation by Oray Egin. Cf. “@pressfreedom CPJ or CHJ (Committee to Harm Journalists) [?] Especially [for] Turkish journalists who are in jail” (Haluk Şahin, 8 December 2011); “Good job @pressfreedom! Turkey’s Min. of Justice legitimizing journalists’ arrests with the latest CPJ report: dunya.com/tutukluluk-sureleriyle-oynayamayiz_140094_haber.html” (Oray Egin, 11 December 2011).
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