Update : Please sign the petition to free journalists in jail At a press conference held today (01/12/2015) in Istanbul, Reporters without Borders (RSF) together with the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ), the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN­IFRA), World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) and the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) launched the following international appeal for the release of Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül :  International appeal – First as prime minister and now as president,…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) are today (27/11/2015) calling on the Turkish authorities to immediately release journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül and drop all charges against them. The two journalists working for the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet have been arrested yesterday in Istanbul following a judicial complain initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on charges of “procuring information as to state security”, “political and military espionage”, “declaring confidential information” and “doing propaganda on behalf of a terror organization”. All accusations are in fact based on the article and footage released by Cumhuriyet on May 29 with the headline “Here are the weapons Erdogan…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) and their affiliate the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) reviewed the implications for journalists and trade union rights following the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the re-run of Turkey’s national elections this weekend, during a Press briefing at the Brussels Press Club, 5 November 2015. Anthony Bellanger IFJ General Secretary said that : “Before Sunday’s elections, to be a journalist in Turkey wasn’t easy but now it will be even more difficult. Turkey was the biggest prison for journalists in Europe with around 20 journalists still held in prisons…

The European Federations of Journalists (EFJ) and its members from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey (in picture) spoke out against media violations in their countries and call for more actions in a conference held on 4 November in Brussels by the European Commission (DG NEAR) to highlight the media freedom situation and progress made in Western Balkans and Turkey. A high-level meeting, the “Speak Up conference on Freedom of Expression and Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey” was kicked off by the European Commissioner in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Johannes Hahn. Unfortunately, hardly any progress is echoed by…

Turkish journalists Cevheri Güven and Murat Çapan, working for the weekly magazine Nokta, have been charged and jailed by a court in Istanbul last Tuesday 3 November. Güven is the editor-in-chief of the publication and Çapan, the managing editor in charge. Their pretrial incarceration is officially justified by particularly severe charges: “incitement to armed uprising against the government”. The cover title of the latest issue of Nokta was: “Monday, 2nd November: the beginning of a civil war in Turkey”. The last remaining copies of the newspaper have been seized by the police and the Nokta website has been blocked. Murat Çapan…

The European Federation of Journalists, represented by its President Mogens Blicher Bjerregård and Director Renate Schroeder will participate in an international conference on freedom of expression in the Western Balkans and Turkey held today at the European Commission. The Speak Up! 3 conference will bring together journalists, media analysts, decision-makers from the enlargement countries, experts from international, regional and national organizations to discuss achievements and challenges to media freedom. The EFJ affiliates from Western Balkans and Turkey will also participate in the conference. The conference will be broadcast live. To follow the debate, you can also follow the Twitter hashtag #SpeakUp3. Here is the…