The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) warmly welcomed today Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruling on February 25 stating that the rights of Cumhuriyet newspaper journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül have been violated and underlining the lack of justification to jail them following the publication of several articles. The ruling refers to the violations of Article 19 (“right to personal liberty and security”), Article 26 (freedom of expression) and Article 28 (press freedom) of Turkey’s Constitution. Dündar and Gül were arrested on 26 November 2015 after the newspaper’s reporting and footage of the content of trucks belonging to the National Intelligence Agency.…

Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), together with ITUC and DISK trade union leaders, went to Istanbul prison to show solidarity with Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, two journalists and trade unionists who are in jail accused of being spies and enemies of the state for having published articles about weapon trafficking to Syria by the Turkish secret services. European and International trade unions demand the immediate release of the journalists. “We are here to show solidarity with Turkish journalists. The Turkish authorities and President are neglecting fundamental rights and freedoms, such as right of…

In a letter sent today to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the European and International federations of journalists and the European and International Trade Union Confederations denounce current threats against press freedom in Turkey and increased censorship ahead of elections. The organisations call for urgent reforms to ensure that Turkey’s media is able to recover its position as an effective profession that is independent, pluralistic and in the service of the public interest. Since April 1, the IFJ and the EFJ reported 22 alerts on Turkey to the Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of…