This event has been rescheduled.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be visiting the UK for official meetings from 13 – 15 May. Join us for a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in London calling for the release of Turkey’s imprisoned journalists.
Under the state of emergency declared following the failed coup attempt in July 2016, President Erdoğan has overseen an unprecedented crackdown on critical voices in Turkey, including the media. Turkey is now the world’s biggest jailer of professional journalists, and is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2018 World Press Freedom Index.
In April 2018, President Erdoğan announced snap presidential and parliamentary elections, due to take place on 24 June 2018, nearly 18 months before they were expected and under the ongoing state of emergency. In light of the ongoing crackdown, there are widespread concerns that the public does not have full access to independent information ahead of casting their votes. One leading writer from Turkey has described the decision as “a way of stealing our power”.
With so many of journalists and writers at risk in Turkey, it is essential that we come together to support our imprisoned colleagues.
Join English PEN, Index on Censorship, Reporters Without Borders, and CRNI – Cartoonsts Rights Network to send a strong message to the authorities, both in Turkey and the UK.
