The Freedom for Journalists Plaftorm (GÖP), including the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) the EFJ-IFJ affiliate, calls on Turkish authorities to end pressure on media and journalists that prevent the public from accessing information. Yesterday (31/05/2015), police forces in Istanbul attacked again reporters for covering a public protest commemorating the second anniversary of the Gezi Park demonstrations. Journalist Emre Şencan working for the Turkish daily Zaman was injured. “The authorities should start an investigation against police officers who have attacked the reporter. Journalism in not a crime”, said TGS. The Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP) published a specific statement denouncing…

Board members of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), together with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), organised this weekend (21-22 March 2015) in Istanbul the union’s third Strategic & Development workshop in a year. This was an opportunity for the new board (elected at the TGS Congress in December 2013) to evaluate their recruitment and development strategies, identify new areas of potential growth, reassess all ongoing projects with partners and take the necessary steps to move forward. Although Turkey’s Constitution affirms the right of workers to form labour unions “without obtaining permission”, “to possess…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) last week sent journalist Barry White (NUJ UK) to observe the new press trials in Turkey, 29 – 31 January. Barry White, also a member of the EFJ Steering Committee, was joined by Mustafa Kuleli (General Secretary of the Journalists Union of Turkey, TGS), atthe first hearing against journalists Can Dündar (Cumhuriyet), Utku Çakirözer (Cumhuriyet), Hakan Gülseven (Yurt) and Nazli Ilicak (Bugün). The journalists are being sued by the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his wife Emine and son Bilal for violation of privacy and defamation following their…

Police forces in Turkey have today (14/12/2014) raided media outlets (Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu Television) known to be close to a US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen. At least 23 people, including journalists and television producers, have been detained so far in Istanbul and elsewhere in the country and are apparently being accused of forming a criminal organization. Commenting this new operation, the Secretary General of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS, an EFJ affiliate) Mustafa Kuleli reminded that “this operation is performed just a few days before the first anniversary of the bribery and corruption scandal (known as “17 December”…

(26-27.04.2014) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate in Turkey, the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS for Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi), organised the first workshop for a two-year project called “Press Freedom and Empowering the Journalists Trade Union Movement in Turkey”. The project is funded by the EIDHR (European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights) of the European Commission. The workshop covered the issues on union capacity-building, recruitment strategies, legal assistance and the TGS-EFJ campaign for the freedom of imprisoned journalists. The workshop also discussed the preparation of a major international conference for 2016. Renate Schroeder (EFJ Director) and Mehmet Koksal…