Index on Censorship » journalists imprisoned

OSCE report finds Turkey is holding 57 journalists in prison

Laura MacPhee — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:00:07 +0000

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has published a report revealing that there are currently 57 journalists imprisoned in Turkey. This is more than any other country. The figures in the report come from the findings of the Freedom for Journalists platform, which represents local and national media organisations in Turkey. The report also states that a further ten journalists are awaiting trial. The EU are planning a special conference in Brussels next month to discuss freedom of expression in Turkey.

The post OSCE report finds Turkey is holding 57 journalists in prison appeared first on Index on Censorship.

Turkish court refuses to release detained journalists

Laura MacPhee — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:25:03 +0000

A Turkish court rejected an application for the provisional release of reporters Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener on Thursday. They were arrested on 3 March during raids relating to the alleged Ergenekon plot. They will now be imprisoned pending trial on the charge of belonging to a “terrorist organisation”.

The post Turkish court refuses to release detained journalists appeared first on Index on Censorship.

Protesters in Istanbul demand journalists’ release

Laura MacPhee — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:19:46 +0000

Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Istanbul on Sunday to protest against the imprisonment of journalists Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener. The reporters were detained as part of an official crackdown over the alleged Ergenekon plot. The demonstration was organised by the Freedom for Journalists platform (GÖP) to highlight the abuse of press freedom in Turkey. They are also campaigning for changes to national laws, in particular the Turkish Criminal Law.

The post Protesters in Istanbul demand journalists’ release appeared first on Index on Censorship.

China: Uighur website editor given seven-year prison sentence

Mohammad Fakhar Zaman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:18:47 +0000

Tursunjan Hezim, Uighur editor of well known website Bilik, has reportedly been given a seven-year prison sentence. The sentence was handed down for unknown charges at a secret trial in July 2010, but has only been made public now. Hezim had been in detention at a secret location since 2009, after ethnic riots broke out in the Chinese north-western region of Xinjiang.

The post China: Uighur website editor given seven-year prison sentence appeared first on Index on Censorship.

Turkish journalists jailed

Mohammad Fakhar Zaman — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:28:23 +0000

Two journalists, Nedem Sener and Ahmet Sik, were sentenced to prison on Sunday pending an investigation into allegations that the military attempted to overthrow the Turkish government in 2003. About 60 journalists are currently imprisoned and thousands face prosecution for their work, reported the Turkish Journalists’ Association. Meanwhile, there are other concerns about press freedom in Turkey; 600,000 bloggers cannot access their blogs, after Google’s blogging service, Blogspot, was blocked in the country, for example. The site was banned by a Turkish court after users showed football matches on their blogs. Digiturk, a satellite TV firm, has exclusive rights to broadcast the matches in Turkey and approached the courts when it became aware of the matches being shown on the blogs.

The post Turkish journalists jailed appeared first on Index on Censorship.

Turkey: Journalists jailed after reporting on demonstration

Laura MacPhee — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:58:43 +0000

Two Kurdish journalists have been sentenced to ten months of imprisonment each, after attending a demonstration in 2008. Vedat Yilidiz, Dicle News Agency, and Lokman Dayan, Güneydoğu Ekspres, have been convicted of “spreading propaganda for an illegal organisation”. They were among 25 defendants charged with “membership of an illegal organisation”. Both journalists attended the protests in their professional capacities, they said. The demonstration, at which the journalists were beaten by police, concerned the alleged violence against Abdullah Öcalan, the detained leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

The post Turkey: Journalists jailed after reporting on demonstration appeared first on Index on Censorship.