Briefing 
 

Press freedom in Turkey up for a debate 

Threats, violations and restrictions faced by journalists in Turkey will be debated on Wednesday afternoon. Since the 15 July failed coup d’état, which left 241 people dead and thousands injured, 90 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,500 have lost their jobs and arrest warrants have been issued against hundreds of media workers in the country.

At the end of September the Turkish government shut down about 20 TV and radio channels for allegedly "spreading terrorist propaganda" before it prolonged the state of emergency declared following the coup attempt by 90 days (from 19 October).


Can Dündar, former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, Turkey’s top opposition daily, is one of the three finalists for the Sakharov Prize 2016. Arrested last November after his newspaper reported on Turkey’s intelligence service smuggling arms to rebels in Syria, he was later sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for "revealing state secrets", survived an assassination attempt and now lives in exile.


Procedure: Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy with resolution

2016/2935(RSP)

Debate: Wednesday, 26 October

Vote: Thursday, 27 October

 

#Turkey