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The undersigned organisations call on Turkey’s national assembly to end the recently extended state of emergency, and take immediate steps to repair the damage to freedom of expression and Turkish democracy since the defeat of the 15 July coup.
We respect the need for every government to assure the safety of its citizens, yet the measures taken under the state of emergency since July go far beyond what is necessary for public safety, and are destroying the vibrant political culture of open, diverse dialogue that distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship.
In the three months since 15 July, over 100,000 people have been dismissed from their positions, most for supposed affiliation with the Gulenist movement. Over 25,000 have been arrested, over 2,000 educational establishments have been closed, and more than 150 media outlets have been shut down. Since the declaration of the state of emergency at least 98 journalists have been jailed, bringing the total number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey to 130, not counting those that have been detained and released without charge – making Turkey the world’s leading jailer of journalists.
As Reporters without Borders has documented, those who have worked with or for organisations sympathetic to the Gulenists are being treated as automatic members of the movement. Members of the movement, in turn, are treated as participants in the coup. In casting such a wide net in its crackdown, Turkey’s government is violating both internationally recognised human rights and universally understood principles of justice by ascribing guilt by association, not evidence, and punishing individuals for their thoughts and beliefs, not their actions.
The extension of the crackdown to Kurdish, Alevi and left-wing media uninvolved in the coup suggests that the state of emergency is being abused beyond its stated purpose and is used for harassing individuals and groups that are merely inconvenient to the government in power, not threats to the democratic system. Many are being detained and punished not for a threat they pose to the Turkish government, or to their fellow citizens, but because they disagree with the government’s actions or policy, or are part of or sympathetic to a minority group.
The survival of democracy requires strong tolerance for a broad spectrum of opinion and belief in public life, including those that majority opinion finds inconvenient. Suppressing the independent voice and participation of minorities in public discourse in the name of anti-terrorism is not only a subversion of their free expression rights – it feeds the discontent that grows into extremism. It will be a poor tribute to the peaceful and democratic spirit of 15 July if weakening democracy and strengthening extremism is the direction chosen by the Turkish people’s political representatives in its aftermath.
We call on the national assembly to take immediate steps to protect the right of all citizens to freedom of expression and belief. We believe the state of emergency must either be ended, or greatly narrowed in its scope. We therefore recommend that you:
Signed,
Initiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey
Afghanistan Journalists Center
Albanian Media Institute
Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain
ARTICLE 19
Association for Civil Rights
Bytes for All
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Center for Independent Journalism – Hungary
Center for Independent Journalism – Romania
Freedom Forum
Freedom House
Free Media Movement
Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda
Index on Censorship
International Press Centre
Journaliste en danger
Maharat Foundation
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Institute of Southern Africa
Media Watch
Norwegian PEN
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión – OLA
OpenMedia
Pakistan Press Foundation
PEN American Center
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders
Trinidad and Tobago’s Publishers and Broadcasters Association
Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’État Civique
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters – AMARC
Anatolian Heritage Foundation
Association of European Journalists
Centre for Freedom of Expression at Ryerson University
English PEN
SEEMO
PEN Germany
Wales PEN Cymru
Norwegian musician Moddi’s new album, Unsongs, is made up of renditions of songs from around the world that had been banned, censored or silenced. Unsongs includes cover versions of songs from countries including China, Russia, Mexico and Vietnam, on topics such as drugs, war and religion.
Index on Censorship caught up with Moddi on Twitter to find out more.
To kick off our Twitter Q&A with @moddimusikk: Where did the idea for your new album, Unsongs, come from? #WithTheBanned pic.twitter.com/REWUt4tvxd
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship It all began with a song about the Israeli officer Eli Geva, who refused to lead his forces into Beirut in 1982.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship The Norwegian singer Birgitte Grimstad heard the story of the officer, and had a song written about him.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship She didn’t perform it though – it was considered “too controversial” at the time. And so it wasn’t sung for 32 years.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship I heard the song 32 yrs after, then the snowball started rolling. There’s so much out there never played! #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
With so many banned or censored songs to choose from, how did you narrow it down to just 12? @moddimusikk #WithTheBanned
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship First of all: 12 songs does not represent the huge amount of censored art out there. They’re just examples. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship I wanted to choose 12 songs that represented 12 different forms of censorship. 12 different perspectives. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Murder, imprisonment, radio bans, social pressure, self-censorship. Different, but equally important. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship I believe it is a great mistake to consider the brutal forms of suppression more worthy of our attention. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship So basically, I chose 12 songs to show the diversity of the phenomenon. I could have made 12 albums though. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship @moddimusikk It must have been hard to pick only 12 songs, what was your favourite song that didn’t make the final cut?
— Sara French (@FrenchiedMuse) September 29, 2016
@FrenchiedMuse @IndexCensorship Oh, that’s probably something Kurdish, e.g. this masterpiece: https://t.co/MELFeWcIHa. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@FrenchiedMuse Have no idea what the lyrics say though. It’s always a little like Christmas eve. @IndexCensorship #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@FrenchiedMuse Another candidate is from the Iranian revolution https://t.co/WejoFpEzK8 but was too difficult to translate @IndexCensorship
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@moddimusikk have you ever heard a song so offensive you’ve thought ‘actually yeah, ok that should definitely be banned’ #withthebanned
— James Green (@JamesGreen6) September 29, 2016
@JamesGreen6 I considered some neo-nazi music for the album, but seriously, those words hurt physically to sing. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@JamesGreen6 Nonetheless not sure if long prison sentences is the right response. But that of course is a long debate.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
How did Index on Censorship magazine help you find inspiration for the album? @moddimusikk #WithTheBanned
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Index helped me grasp the diversity of the issue. At first I only looked to Jara, Biermann…the classics. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Index helped me grasp the diversity of the issue. At first I only looked to Jara, Biermann…the classics. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Must most important: Orgs such as Index helped me understand that this is really an important topic. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship At first it was a hobby project. In the end it felt like a small part of a big movement. That helped. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
You tried to film the video for your version of @pussyrrriot‘s Punk Prayer in Russia but failed. What happened? @moddimusikk #WithTheBanned
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Yes, I seriously considered going to Russia to sing in solidarity with @pussyrrriot. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship I settled for the second best: singing it on the Russian border. There’s a beautiful old stone church there. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Unfortunately the parish did not approve and so the video had to be filmed on the church steps. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship It was minus five and stormy, ubearably cold, but felt good afterwards. @pussyrrriot‘s song it a true gem! #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Must say I’m disappointed with the Norwegian church though. I genuinely thought this song would be welcome. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship PS: The video turned out really well. https://t.co/YRdnimuycB @pussyrrriot
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
What was the hardest journey to make when visiting one of the original songwriters? #WithTheBanned
— ΛSHΣR ΛLΣXΛNDΣR (@AsherAlexander) September 29, 2016
@AsherAlexander Vietnam. Very confusing. Officially he was allowed to have visitors but in reality we were unwelcome. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@AsherAlexander Also the language and culture barriers were significant. But the meeting was still incredibly inspiring. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@AsherAlexander And in general: For a white, Norwegian boy, meeting with the genuinely banned has really been an eye-opener. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
#WithTheBanned Besides being a censored song, why did you choose a narcocorrido as part of the album? What caught your attention?
— Verito (@Veritokun) September 29, 2016
@Veritokun @IndexCensorship The double meaning! To me, who know that it is a narcocorrido, the underlying metaphor is obvious.#WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@Veritokun @IndexCensorship But to children and to many others, it may sound almost like a normal farm song. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@Veritokun @IndexCensorship The narcocororrido genre is terrible, but the way it avoided getting banned is – in this context – inspiring.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@moddimusikk if you had to write a protest song, like Punk Prayer, what regime would you be challenging/ trying to change #WithTheBanned
— Ethan Beer (@EthanDuffmanB) September 29, 2016
@EthanDuffmanB My own, Norway! Protest is always best from inside. #WithTheBanned @IndexCensorship
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@EthanDuffmanB I’m not trying to change other countries, but presenting songs where others have tried. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@EthanDuffmanB Hopefully it can inspire other musicians across the globe to do the same. I know it has changed me, at least. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
How did your experience cancelling a concert in Tel Aviv change your approach to music? @moddimusikk #WithTheBanned
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship It made me realise that everything – even singing a love song – is political. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship In a conflict, remaining silent gives strength to the dominant side. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship And in this context, singing love songs and songs about the sea was equal to remaining silent. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship When I discovered “Eli Geva”, I felt that finally there was a song – a message – which was stronger than its own context.
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship When I write my own songs in the future, that will always be something I’ll aspire towards. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Like the songwriter Richard Burgess said “I could have written a song that she would have been allowed to perform…
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship …but I don’t think it would have been as good a song.” #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
What were the main things you learned about censorship when making Unsongs? @moddimusikk #WithTheBanned
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Censorship, in one form or anohter, is everywhere, all times, and it comes in different shapes. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship And it isn’t only states and religious authorities that are behind it. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship Basically, whereever there is power, there is also censorship. Those two seem to be mutually constituitive. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship So in a way, this project of interpreting banned songs is a case study of challenging power through music. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
@IndexCensorship As a young musician, that has probably been the most important lesson: That music CAN still be powerful. #WithTheBanned
— Pål Moddi Knutsen (@moddimusikk) September 29, 2016
To mark the release of Unsongs, Index on Censorship is proud to announce a special series of appearances by currently banned voices from around the world.
Moddi will hand over the stage at three of the biggest gigs on his current European tour to unleash the power of free expression, replacing the support band with the genuinely banned.
In Amsterdam on 1 October, Maryam Al-Khawaja will share her and her family’s story of imprisonment and exile in the struggle for democracy in Bahrain. In London on 3 October, Vanessa Berhe will speak about life in the prison state of Eritrea and her campaign One Day Seyoum fighting to free her journalist uncle Seyoum Tsehaye who has been in jail for 15 years. In Berlin on 6 October, Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently will tell how the Syrian civil war has destroyed the free expression of a generation. Co-founder Abdalaziz Alhamza will share the story of how and why he co-founded it inside IS-controlled territory.
To mark the release of Norwegian musician Moddi’s new album, Unsongs, Index on Censorship is proud to announce a special series of appearances by currently banned voices from around the world.
Moddi will hand over the stage at three of the biggest gigs on his current European tour to unleash the power of free expression, replacing the support band with the genuinely banned.
In Amsterdam on 1 October, Maryam Al-Khawaja will share her and her family’s story of imprisonment and exile in the struggle for democracy in Bahrain. In London on 3 October, Vanessa Berhe will speak about life in the prison state of Eritrea and her campaign One Day Seyoum fighting to free her journalist uncle Seyoum Tsehaye who has been in jail for 15 years. In Berlin on 6 October, Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently will tell how the Syrian civil war has destroyed the free expression of a generation. Co-founder Abdalaziz Alhamza will share the story of how and why he co-founded it inside IS-controlled territory.
“Unsongs is a remarkable collection of songs that have, at one stage, been banned, censored or silenced. The attempts to suppress them were as mild as an airplay ban and as brutal as murder. With great sensitivity and imagination, Norwegian singer-songwriter Moddi has given them new life and created a moving and eye-opening album. Unsongs simultaneously celebrates the censored and exposes the censors.” – Dorian Lynskey
Amsterdam, Jeruzalemkerk, Saturday 1 October, 8:30pm
The Banned: Maryam Al-Khawaja (Bahrain)
London, St. Giles-In-The-Fields, Monday 3 October, 8pm
The Banned: Vanessa Berhe (Eritrea)
Berlin, Silent Green, Thursday 6th October, 8pm
The Banned: Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (Syria)
The series will be launched with a live Twitter chat with Moddi and Index on Censorship on Thursday 29 September at 3pm. Ask Moddi a question using the hashtag #WithTheBanned.
Rights groups wrote to the governments of 50 states urging them to publicly call for the release of Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, who faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment for comments he made on Twitter. Last week, Bahrain brought the new charge of “defaming the state” against him, after an op-ed was published under his name in The New York Times.
The letter from 22 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, urges the 50 governments to “speak out on Bahrain’s continued misuse of the judicial system to harass and silence human rights defenders, through charges that violate freedom of expression.”
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy, BIRD: “The Bahraini state is an enemy to the internet and free speech and must be condemned as such by the international community. Bahrain is committing a crime by prosecuting human rights defenders. A strong, clear message can save Nabeel Rajab from a 15 year prison sentence.”
Among those addressed are the governments of France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. While the US State Department called for Nabeel Rajab’s release on 6 September, other governments have not done so. The 50 states addressed in the letter are all previous signatories of statements at the United Nations criticizing Bahrain’s ongoing human rights violations and calling for progress.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Al-Hussein, used his opening statement at the 33rd Human Rights Council this week to raise concern over Bahrain’s harassing and arresting human rights defenders. He cautioned Bahrain: “The past decade has demonstrated repeatedly and with punishing clarity exactly how disastrous the outcomes can be when a Government attempts to smash the voices of its people, instead of serving them.”
Nabeel Rajab, the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, has been held in pre-trial detention since 13 June. During this time he has been held largely in solitary confinement, and his health has deteriorated as a result. Since 2011, Nabeel Rajab has faced multiple prosecutions and prison sentences for his vocal activism. He was subjected to a travel ban in 2014 and has been unable to leave the country.
In his current trial, Nabeel Rajab faces charges including “insulting a statutory body”, “insulting a neighbouring country”, and “disseminating false rumours in time of war”. These are in relation to remarks he tweeted and retweeted on Twitter in 2015 relating to torture in Bahrain’s Jaw prison and the role of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in causing a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Most recently, on 5 September Rajab was charged with “deliberate dissemination of false news and spreading tendentious rumours that undermine the prestige of the state and its stature” for an op-ed he wrote to the New York Times. In it, Rajab asked the US authorities: “Is this the kind of ally America wants? The kind that punishes its people for thinking, that prevents its citizens from exercising their basic rights?”
Husain Abdulla, Executive Director, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain: “This has been another test for Bahrain’s attitude to free expression and it failed it once again. Bahrain has zero respect for free speech. Nabeel Rajab should never have been prosecuted, it is that simple. We want to see the international community take public action against Bahrain’s flagrant disregard of human rights.”
Bahrain was named an Enemy of the Internet by Reporters Without Border in 2014 and is a bottom scorer in Freedom House’s Freedom of the World report. Both RSF and Freedom House are signatories of today’s letter to 50 states.
Nabeel Rajab’s next court session has been set for 6 October, when he is expected to be sentenced.
Background
NGOs and others have been urging action on Nabeel Rajab’s case since he was imprisoned in pre-trial detention in June.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy wrote to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on 7 September urging public action on Nabeel Rajab.
On 2 September, 34 NGOs wrote a letter to the King of Bahrain calling for Nabeel Rajab’s release.
In August, as part of an initiative organised by Index on Censorship, leading writers wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May asking the UK government to call on Bahrain, their ally, to release Nabeel Rajab. They included playwright David Hare, author Monica Ali, comedian Shazia Mirza, MP Keir Starmer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
Bahrain: Prominent rights activist charged for New York Times letter
Bahrain delays court date for human rights campaigner for third time
Index award winners and judges call for release of Bahraini campaigner