On behalf of the undersigned media freedom organisations, representing thousands of journalists and human rights activists across Europe, we urge the Slovak authorities to immediately start examining state responsibility in the failure to prevent the assassination of Ján Kuciak. Tomorrow marks a full year since Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were murdered in Slovakia. Kuciak was investigating cross-border corruption and links between powerful people and various mafia networks. Since February 2018, we have closely monitored press and media freedom in Slovakia. We welcome the arrests of suspects who have now been charged in connection with Kuciak’s and Kušnírová’s murder.…

UPDATE: The Supreme Court  suspended the sentence and released five former employees of Cumhuriyet Newspaper Musa Kart, Güray Öz, Hakan Kara, Önder Çelik and Lawyer Mustafa Kemal Güngör on September 12. The newspaper’s former accountant, Emre Iper, was not expected to be released. ? #Cumhuriyet eski çalışanları #MusaKart, #GürayÖz, #MustafaKemalGüngör, #HakanKara ve #ÖnderÇelik bu akşam Kandıra Cezaevinden tahliye edilecek. Tutuklu tek bir gazeteci kalmayana kadar mücadeleye devam! #GazetecilikSuçDeğildir pic.twitter.com/lhmsNKRTE9 — Gazeteciler Sendikası (@TGS_org_tr) September 12, 2019     Press freedom and the rule of law in Turkey suffered yet another blow yesterday. In a detrimental ruling, an appeals court in…