30 Mar 20 | Magazine, Magazine Contents, Volume 49.01 Spring 2020
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The Spring 2020 issue of Index on Censorship magazine looks at our own role in free speech violations. In this issue we talk to Swedish people who are willingly having microchips inserted under their skin. Noelle Mateer writes about living in China as her neighbours, and her landlord, embraced video surveillance cameras. The historian Tom Holland highlights the best examples from the past of people willing to self-censor. Jemimah Steinfeld discusses holding back from difficult conversations at the dinner table, alongside interviewing Helen Lewis on one of the most heated conversations of today. And Steven Borowiec asks why a North Korean is protesting against the current South Korean government. Plus Mark Frary tests the popular apps to see how much data you are knowingly – or unknowingly – giving away.
In our In Focus section, we sit down with different generations of people from Turkey and China and discuss with them what they can and cannot talk about today compared to the past. We also look at how as world demand for cocaine grows, journalists in Colombia are increasingly under threat. Finally, is internet browsing biased against LBGTQ stories? A special Index investigation.
Our culture section contains an exclusive short story from Libyan writer Najwa Bin Shatwan about an author changing her story to people please, as well as stories from Argentina and Bangladesh.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Special Report”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Willingly watched by Noelle Mateer: Chinese people are installing their own video cameras as they believe losing privacy is a price they are willing to pay for enhanced safety
The big deal by Jean-Paul Marthoz: French journalists past and present have felt pressure to conform to the view of the tribe in their reporting
Don’t let them call the tune by Jeffrey Wasserstrom: A professor debates the moral questions about speaking at events sponsored by an organisation with links to the Chinese government
Chipping away at our privacy by Nathalie Rothschild: Swedes are having microchips inserted under their skin. What does that mean for their privacy?
There’s nothing wrong with being scared by Kirsten Han: As a journalist from Singapore grows up, her views on those who have self-censored change
How to ruin a good dinner party by Jemimah Steinfeld: We’re told not to discuss sex, politics and religion at the dinner table, but what happens to our free speech when we give in to that rule?
Sshh… No speaking out by Alison Flood: Historians Tom Holland, Mary Fulbrook, Serhii Plokhy and Daniel Beer discuss the people from the past who were guilty of complicity
Making foes out of friends by Steven Borowiec: North Korea’s grave human rights record is off the negotiation table in talks with South Korea. Why?
Nothing in life is free by Mark Frary: An investigation into how much information and privacy we are giving away on our phones
Not my turf by Jemimah Steinfeld: Helen Lewis argues that vitriol around the trans debate means only extreme voices are being heard
Stripsearch by Martin Rowson: You’ve just signed away your freedom to dream in private
Driven towards the exit by Victoria Pavlova: As Bulgarian media is bought up by those with ties to the government, journalists are being forced out of the industry
Shadowing the golden age of Soviet censorship by Ak Welsapar: The Turkmen author discusses those who got in bed with the old regime, and what’s happening now
Silent majority by Stefano Pozzebon: A culture of fear has taken over Venezuela, where people are facing prison for being critical
Academically challenged by Kaya Genç: A Turkish academic who worried about publicly criticising the government hit a tipping point once her name was faked on a petition
Unhealthy market by Charlotte Middlehurst: As coronavirus affects China’s economy, will a weaker market mean international companies have more power to stand up for freedom of expression?
When silence is not enough by Julian Baggini: The philosopher ponders the dilemma of when you have to speak out and when it is OK not to[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”In Focus”][vc_column_text]Generations apart by Kaya Genç and Karoline Kan: We sat down with Turkish and Chinese families to hear whether things really are that different between the generations when it comes to free speech
Crossing the line by Stephen Woodman: Cartels trading in cocaine are taking violent action to stop journalists reporting on them
A slap in the face by Alessio Perrone: Meet the Italian journalist who has had to fight over 126 lawsuits all aimed at silencing her
Con (census) by Jessica Ní Mhainín: Turns out national censuses are controversial, especially in the countries where information is most tightly controlled
The documentary Bolsonaro doesn’t want made by Rachael Jolley: Brazil’s president has pulled the plug on funding for the TV series Transversais. Why? We speak to the director and publish extracts from its pitch
Queer erasure by Andy Lee Roth and April Anderson: Internet browsing can be biased against LGBTQ people, new exclusive research shows[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Culture”][vc_column_text]Up in smoke by Félix Bruzzone: A semi-autobiographical story from the son of two of Argentina’s disappeared
Between the gavel and the anvil by Najwa Bin Shatwan: A new short story about a Libyan author who starts changing her story to please neighbours
We could all disappear by Neamat Imam: The Bangladesh novelist on why his next book is about a famous writer who disappeared in the 1970s[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Index around the world”][vc_column_text]Demand points of view by Orna Herr: A new Index initiative has allowed people to debate about all of the issues we’re otherwise avoiding[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Endnote”][vc_column_text]Ticking the boxes by Jemimah Steinfeld: Voter turnout has never felt more important and has led to many new organisations setting out to encourage this. But they face many obstacles[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Subscribe”][vc_column_text]In print, online, in your mailbox, on your iPad.
Subscription options from £18 or just £1.49 in the App Store for a digital issue.
Every subscriber helps support Index on Censorship’s projects around the world.
SUBSCRIBE NOW[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Read”][vc_column_text]The playwright Arthur Miller wrote an essay for Index in 1978 entitled The Sin of Power. We reproduce it for the first time on our website and theatre director Nicholas Hytner responds to it in the magazine
READ HERE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Listen”][vc_column_text]In the Index on Censorship autumn 2019 podcast, we focus on how travel restrictions at borders are limiting the flow of free thought and ideas. Lewis Jennings and Sally Gimson talk to trans woman and activist Peppermint; San Diego photojournalist Ariana Drehsler and Index’s South Korean correspondent Steven Borowiec
LISTEN HERE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
09 Jan 20 | Journalism Toolbox Arabic
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مبنى حكومي في أسمرة، عاصمة إريتريا Charles Roffey/Flickr
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بدأ إبراهيم ت. زير مسيرته في إحدى الصحف الحكومية بعد فرض حظر شامل على وسائل الإعلام المستقلة. يعيش اليوم في المنفى في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، حيث يقوم بالكشف عن المخاطر التي تواجه الكتاب في “أكثر دول العالم خضوعاً للرقابة
في أوائل عام ٢٠١٦، طُلب من الصحفيين والموظفين الذين كانوا يشغلون مناصب رئيسية في وزارة الإعلام في إريتريا ملء نموذج شخصي مفصل، بما يتضمّن المعلومات المتعلقة بحساباتهم المصرفية، ومكان سكن أسرهم. كان التهديد لهؤلاء الذين يفكرون في مغادرة البلاد واضحاً.
لقد مر أكثر من ١٠ سنوات منذ أن توقفتُ عن العمل في وزارة الإعلام. في تلك الفترة، أصبحت الوزارة جهازاً للإرهاب، حيث تم عسكرتها أكثر من أي وقت مضى وأصبحت أكثر تدخلًا في حياة الصحفيين.
في أبريل، أجرت الصحفية المنفية بيكيريت أبرهة مقابلة مع محطة الإذاعة الإثيوبية “راديو ويغاثا”. قالت أبرهة، التي سُجنت ثلاث مرات، أن أداء صحفيي الدولة يقاس الآن بشكل أساسي من قبل الجيش، وأن العديد من الصحفيين تعرضوا للاعتقال نتيجة لذلك. منذ عام ٢٠١٢، طُلب من الصحفيين أيضاً حضور التدريبات العسكرية وحراسة المكاتب الحكومية.
تحتل إريتريا حاليًا المرتبة الأخيرة (١٨٠) في مؤشر حرية الصحافة لدى منظمة مراسلون بلا حدود وقد وصفتها لجنة حماية الصحفيين بأنها “أكثر دولة خضوعاً للرقابة” في العالم.
كنت صغيراً عندما كانت الصحف المستقلة لا تزال تعمل في إريتريا، قبل حظرها في عام ٢٠٠١. كنت مساهماً نشطاً في واحدة منها، اسمها “زمن”، خلال السنة الأخيرة من دراستي الثانوية. وعدني رئيس التحرير ومعلّمي أمانويل أسرات بأن يعطيني وظيفة عندما أنهي دراستي في الصحافة، لكنه سُجن قبل تخرجي ولم أسمع منه مرة أخرى. بدا احتمال إعادة فتح الصحف المستقلة أمرًا مستبعدًا جدًا، لذلك بدأت في نشر مقال أسبوعي في الصحيفة الحكومية “حداس-إرترا” في أبريل ٢٠٠٣.
سعى عمودي الذي كان تحت عوان “جدول أعمال اليوم” إلى ايصال رسائل معينة على المستوى الرمزي أو التجريدي بالتوازي مع تغطية الأدب والفلسفة والفنون والشباب والسياسة وقضايا الحكم. بطريقة ما، تمكنت من كتابة العمود لمدة ثلاث سنوات، وأنا أمشي على حبلٍ دقيقٍ بين الغموض المتعمد والاهتمام بالسياق الإريتري.
لقد تعلمت اتباع نفس الإجراءات الأساسية. كان رئيس التحرير – الذي كان معروفًا بولائه للسلطات العليا – يسألني عما أكتب وكنت أوجز له المحتوى، مع التركيز على الزاوية التي تفضلها الصحيفة. عندما كنت أقتبس من شخصيات عالمية، كنت أخفف من وقع المادة بالقول: “الكاتب غير محبّذ في الغرب”.
كل أسبوع، عندما كنت أقدّم مقالتي الجديدة، لم يكن رئيس التحرير يعلّق الا بذكر مقالتي من الأسبوع السابق في حال كانت تحتوي على شيء أغضب السلطات (بخلاف ذلك، لم أتلق أي ردود فعل على مدار جميع السنوات منه). كانت رسالته الضمنية هي: “لدي عائلة لأعتني بها فلا تسبّب لي المشاكل”.
من بين ١٦ صفحة بحجم A3 من الصحيفة الحكومية اليومية (بما في ذلك صفحتان للإعلانات المبوبة)، كانت الصفحات الثلاث الأولى فقط تحتوي على تغطية للقضايا المتعلقة بإريتريا، وكانت هذه المقالات جافة ومليئة دائماً بالكليشيهات، مثل القطع الطويلة المبالغ فيها عن مشاريع السدود وكيف أن إريتريا تتقدم رغم كل ما قد يقوله الغرب.
كانت بقية التقارير هي إما مقالات دولية مترجمة من دون صلة تذكر بالبلد، أو غيرها، مثل العمود الذي كتبته، والذي كان يسعى بشكل خفي إلى ايصال الأفكار ولكن دون لفت الانتباه من الرؤساء.
إذا تجاوز الصحفيون الحد، حتى بشكل طفيف، كانوا يواجهون الاعتقال ولم يُسمح لهم باستئناف عملهم إلا بعد “إعادة تأهيلهم”. كما كان وزير الإعلام علي عبده يرسل الصحفيين إلى الاعتقال في سجون الجيش، وهو الأكثر وحشية في البلاد. كما استحدثت وزارة الإعلام نظام دفع معقد للغاية تطلب من الصحفيين المستقلين زيارة ١٣ مكتباً في وزارتين لتحصيل أتعابهم.
لفترة طويلة آثرتُ السلامة وتوّخيت الحذر. كنت على علاقة جيدة مع رئيس التحرير، وكان يتم تقديري كصحفي غزير الإنتاج مستعد للعمل في حالات الطوارئ. استمر هذا الوضع حتى نشرت الصحيفة رسالة قامت بمهاجمة عمودي، قائلة إنها تقوض المجتمع الإريتري. بالنظر الى طبيعة النظام، أدركت أن هذا كان عبارة عن إنذار.
كنت على يقين من أن الشكوى جاءت من وزير الإعلام عبده. خلال السنوات الثلاث التي أمضيتها في حداس-إرترا، لم يكن لي أي اتصال شخصي مع عبده. لم أتصل به أبداً طالباً خدمة أو موافقة، مما قد يكون جريمة لا تغتفر في عينيه. كنت أدرك جيدًا سمعته القائلة بأنه يقرأ جميع الأخبار المحلية ويوافق عليها، ويراقب الأخبار الدولية بهوس يكاد يكون مرضيّاً. كنت أظن أنه لم يقدر مقالاتي. لذلك في اليوم التالي لقراءتي هذه الرسالة، تقدّمتُ باستقالتي إلى رئيس التحرير.
بعد ذلك، أصبح استياء عبده من مقالاتي واضحا بعد أن بدأت الكتابة لمجلة الحزب الحاكم، “حدري” ، والتي لم تكن تحت سيطرته. هاجمني مرتين في الصحيفة الوطنية وقال انني تهديد أمني.
تم رفض طلباتي للحصول على إذن لمغادرة البلاد والحصول على منحة دراسية في إحدى الجامعات الأمريكية. أخيرًا استخدمت شبكتي الخاصة للحصول على موافقة لرحلة دراسية إلى جنوب إفريقيا في عام ٢٠١٢ ومن هناك سافرت إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، حيث لا ازال هنا اليوم.
هرب وزير الإعلام عبده من إريتريا نفسه في عام ٢٠١٢ وطلب اللجوء السياسي في أستراليا.
في مقابلتها على الراديو في تنزانيا قالت أبرهة إن “وزارة الإعلام هي مؤسسة ميتة في موكب جنازة”. في هذه الأثناء يستمر الصحفيون الإريتريون في العيش في مأزق دائم.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]أبراهام ت. زير هو المدير التنفيذي لمؤسسة بين إريتريا في المنفى[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
13 Dec 19 | Magazine, Magazine Contents, Volume 48.04 Winter 2019
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”With contributions from Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Miriam Grace Go, Tammy Lai-ming Ho, Karoline Kan, Rob Sears, Jonathan Tel and Caroline Lees”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Winter 2019 issue of Index on Censorship magazine looks at the current pack of macho leaders and how their egos are destroying our freedoms. In this issue Rappler news editor Miriam Grace Go writes about how the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, tries to position himself as the man by being as foul-mouthed as possible. Indian journalist Somak Goshal reports on how Narenda Modi presents an image of being both the guy next door, as well as a tough guy – and he’s got a large following to ensure his message gets across, come what may. The historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom considers exactly who the real Chinese leader Xi Jinping is – a man of poetry or military might? And Stefano Pozzebon talks to journalists in Brazil who are right in the firing line of Jair Bolsonaro’s vicious attacks on the media. Meanwhile Mark Frary talks about the tools that autocrats are using to crush dissent and Caroline Lees looks at the smears that are becoming commonplace as a tactic to silence journalists. Plus a very special spoof on all of this from bestselling comedic writer Rob Sears.
In our In Focus section, we interview Jamie Barton, who headlined this year’s Last Night at the Proms, an article that fits nicely with another piece on a new orchestra in Yemen from Laura Silvia Battaglia.
In our culture section we publish a poem from Hong Kong writer Tammy Lai-ming Ho, which addresses the current protests engulfing the city, plus two short stories written exclusively for the magazine by Kaya Genç and Jonathan Tel. There’s also a graphic novel straight out of Mexico.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Special Report”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Will the real Xi Jinping please stand up by Jeffrey Wasserstrom: China’s most powerful leader since Mao wears many hats – some of them draconian
Challenging Orbán’s echo chamber by Viktória Serdült: Against the odds a new mayor from an opposition party has come to power in Budapest. We report on his promises to push back against Orbán
Taking on the lion by Stefano Pozzebon: With an aggressive former army captain as president, Brazilian journalists are having to employ bodyguards to keep safe. But they’re fighting back
Seven tips for crushing free speech in the 21st century by Rob Sears: Hey big guy, we know you’re the boss man, but here are some tips to really rule the roost
“Media must come together” by Rachael Jolley and Jan Fox: Interview with the New York Times’ lawyer on why the media needs to rally free speech. Plus Trump vs. former presidents, the ultimate machometer
Tools of the real technos by Mark Frary: The current autocrats have technology bent to their every whim. We’re vulnerable and exposed
Modi and his angry men by Somak Ghoshal: India’s men are responding with violence to Modi’s increasingly nationalist war cry
Global leaders smear their critics by Caroline Lees: Dissenters beware – these made-up charges are being used across borders to distract and destroy
Sexism is president’s power tool by Miriam Grace Go: Duterte is using violent language and threats against journalists, Rappler’s news editor explains
Stripsearch by Martin Rowson: Putin, Trump, Bolsonaro – macho or… nacho?
Sounds against silence by Kaya Genç: Far from a bad rap here as Turkey’s leading musicians use music to criticise the government
Un-mentionables by Orna Herr: The truths these world leaders really can’t handle
Salvini exploits “lack of trust” in Italian media by Alessio Perrone: The reputation of Italian media is poor, which plays straight into the hands of the far-right politician
Macho, macho man by Neema Komba: A toxic form of masculinity has infected politics in Tanzania. Democracy is on the line
Putin’s pushbacks by Andrey Arkhangelskiy: Russians signed up for prosperity not oppression. Is Putin failing to deliver his side of the deal?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Global View”][vc_column_text]Trying to shut down women by Jodie Ginsberg: Women are being forced out of politics as a result of abuse. We need to rally behind them, for all our sakes[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”In Focus”][vc_column_text]Dirty industry, dirty tactics by Stephen Woodman: Miners in Brazil, Mexico and Peru are going to extremes to stop those who are trying to protest
Music to Yemen’s ears by Laura Silvia Battaglia: Could a new orchestra in Yemen signal the end of oppressive Houthi rule? These women hope so
Play on by Jemimah Steinfeld: The darling of the opera scene, Jamie Barton, and the woman behind a hit refugee orchestra, discuss taboo breaking on stage
The final chapter by Karoline Kan: The closing of Beijing’s iconic Bookworm has been met with cries of sadness around the world. Why?
Working it out by Steven Borowiec: An exclusive interview about workplace bullying with the Korean Air steward who was forced to kneel and apologise for not serving nuts correctly
Protest works by Rachael Jolley and Jemimah Steinfeld: Two activists on how their protest movements led to real political change in Hungary and Romania
It’s a little bit silent, this feeling inside by Silvia Nortes: Spain’s historic condemnation of suicide is contributing to a damaging culture of silence today[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Culture”][vc_column_text]Hong Kong writes by Tammy Lai-ming Ho: A Hong Kong poet talks to Index from the frontline of the protests about how her writing keeps her and others going. Also one of her poems published here
Writing to the challenge by Kaya Genç: Orna Herr speaks to the Turkish author about his new short story, written exclusively for the magazine, in which Turkish people get obsessed with raccoons
Playing the joker by Jonathan Tel: The award-winning writer tells Rachael Jolley about the power of subversive jokes. Plus an exclusive short story set in a Syrian prison
Going graphic by Andalusia Knoll Soloff and Marco Parra: Being a journalist in Mexico is often a deadly pursuit. But sometimes the horrors of this reality are only shown in cartoon for, as the journalist and illustrator show[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Index around the world”][vc_column_text]Governments seek to control reports by Orna Herr: Journalists are facing threats from all angles, including new terrorist legislation[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Endnote”][vc_column_text]Culture vultures by Jemimah Steinfeld: The extent of art censorship in democracies is far greaten than initially meets the eye, Index reveals[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Subscribe”][vc_column_text]In print, online, in your mailbox, on your iPad.
Subscription options from £18 or just £1.49 in the App Store for a digital issue.
Every subscriber helps support Index on Censorship’s projects around the world.
SUBSCRIBE NOW[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Read”][vc_column_text]The playwright Arthur Miller wrote an essay for Index in 1978 entitled The Sin of Power. We reproduce it for the first time on our website and theatre director Nicholas Hytner responds to it in the magazine
READ HERE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Listen”][vc_column_text]In the Index on Censorship autumn 2019 podcast, we focus on how travel restrictions at borders are limiting the flow of free thought and ideas. Lewis Jennings and Sally Gimson talk to trans woman and activist Peppermint; San Diego photojournalist Ariana Drehsler and Index’s South Korean correspondent Steven Borowiec
LISTEN HERE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
29 Oct 19 | Statements, Uncategorized
İdris Sayılgan’s father Ramazan, mother Sebiha and sisters Tuğba and İrem are waiting for İdris (Credit: Özgün Özçer)
Global press freedom groups, including Index on Censorship, argue Turkey no longer offers domestic remedy
A coalition of 10 international press freedom and journalism organisations has intervened at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in support of a case brought by İdris Sayılğan, a Turkish-Kurdish journalist jailed since 2016 on baseless anti-terror charges. The intervention focuses on the crucial question of domestic remedy, which has significant implications for the ECtHR’s handling of cases from Turkey.
Jessica Ní Mhainín, policy research and advocacy officer at Index on Censorship said: “Journalists and others in Turkey who have been criminalised and imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression continue to be denied meaningful redress. We are hopeful that the ECtHR will recognise this lack of access to justice by accepting to take up İdris Sayılğan’s case. The situation in Turkey remains deeply concerning and journalists, such as Sayılğan, who speak out on issues relating to Turkey’s Kurdish minority remain particularly at risk.”
Sayılğan worked for the now-shuttered pro-Kurdish Dicle news agency (DİHA) before his arrest on October 7, 2016. Authorities did not inform him of the charge – membership of an armed terrorist organisation – until an indictment was produced nine months later. Typical of Turkey’s ongoing crackdown on the media, prosecutors’ evidence consists solely of Sayılğan’s journalistic work, indicating a politically driven effort to silence criticism.
His detention and trial have been marked by major violations of the right to a fair trial, described in documents filed by Sayılğan’s lawyers before the court. These violations include interference with Sayılğan’s right to legal counsel, denying him the right to appear personally in court, and preventing defence lawyers from calling witnesses. Sayılğan’s appeal to Turkey’s Constitutional Court, filed in July 2018, has gone unanswered. In January 2019, Sayılğan was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison.
The coalition’s intervention argues that the ECtHR should not require applicants from Turkey, such as Sayılğan, to first exhaust all “domestic remedies” – proceeding through all stages of the national-level appeals process – before applying to the Court. This argument is based on evidence that Turkey’s justice system, including the Constitutional Court, no longer offers an effective remedy. Judicial independence has been compromised and courts are unable to address cases in a fair, timely and consistent manner. The ECtHR’s current insistence on domestic remedy in Turkey largely prevents journalists and others from obtaining any meaningful redress to fundamental rights violations suffered.
“Idris Sayılğan’s case is but one of hundreds of examples of arbitrary detention and prosecution of Turkey’s journalists and the abject failure of a judicial system cowed by the political forces unleashed in 2016 to silence criticism,” said IPI Turkey Programmes Manager Oliver Money-Kyrle. “The European Court of Human Rights can offer a first step towards justice by recognising the absence of domestic remedy and accepting to take up Sayılğan’s case.”
A total of 130 journalists are behind bars in Turkey, and most are the victims of a wide-ranging crackdown on critics of the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was set in motion following the July 2016 coup attempt and the subsequent enaction of a State of Emergency. Anti-terror laws have been Turkey’s main tool of choice to prosecute the press, though journalists have been frequently held for extended periods without official charges. Indictments invariably rely on journalists’ professional work, including articles, social media posts and conversations with sources. Trials are marked by violations of basic rights of defence.
Sayılğan is represented before the ECtHR by the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) and the Turkey-based Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA). The application argues violations of Article 5 (liberty and security), 6 (fair trial), 10 (freedom of expression), 13 (effective remedy) and 18 (limitation on rights).
The Intervention was submitted by the International Press Institute (IPI) on Friday, October 18, on behalf of a coalition of leading press and freedom of expression organisations including Article 19, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), English PEN, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Index on Censorship, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and PEN International. The intervention was drafted with the help of international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
