by admin | Feb 10, 2017 | Campaigns, Turkey
Next Tuesday I am travelling to Istanbul to see the curtain come down on one of the most farcical trials I have witnessed in my years as an observer at trials of journalists in Turkey. The Odatv case began in 2011 when journalists and others on the internet news...
by admin | Jan 21, 2017 | Campaigns, international, Turkey
The weekend before the SPOT (Solidarity with the People of Turkey) delegation arrived in Istanbul, the city was in the grip of freezing temperatures and the heaviest snow-falls for 20 years with over 2 feet (65 cm) of snow paralysing the city. A few days later when we...
by admin | Jan 19, 2017 | Campaigns, Turkey
I have recently returned from a visit to Istanbul with the SPOT delegation (Solidarity with the People of Turkey). The following day (15 January) the Turkish Parliament gave preliminary approval to a new constitution which will increase the powers of President...
by admin | Jan 1, 2017 | Campaigns, international, Turkey
The IFJ/EFJ, English Pen and other trade unions and press freedom organisations have called for the immediate release of leading investigative journalist Ahmet Sik, who was taken into custody in Istanbul on 29 December. Following his detention Ahmet Şık has now been...
by admin | Nov 10, 2016 | Europe, international, media freedom, Turkey
In my blog of 25 September ‘Defending journalism in Turkey’ I described the interview I gave with Ugur Güç, TGS president, on an evening news programme on IMC TV. We discussed the increasing number of prosecutions against journalists and during the...
by admin | Sep 25, 2016 | Campaigns, international, Turkey
The next day (Wednesday 21 September) we arrived at the Caglayan Court of Justice in Istanbul which was hearing 5 different prosecution cases against journalists. We were originally told that there would only be one! Again we were with the IFJ/EFJ affiliates TGS...
