Lawsuits, politics test media freedom in Turkey

se times
25/05/2011

Journalists of all political stripes face policies that restrict reporting. Meanwhile, the profession remains highly polarized.
By Ozgur Ogret for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 25/05/11
The nine year rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the ongoing Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) trials have divided the country into two camps -- one arguing Turkey is undergoing a democratic transformation and the other maintaining the country is sliding towards dictatorship. ....more...
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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/05/25/feature-02

Bloggers: press in Turkey under attack?

se times
13/05/2011

The arrest of journalists, including two high-profile reporters, exacerbates worries over press freedom.
By Alina Lehtinen for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 13/05/11
Friends and supporters of free press in Turkey marked UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd, but had little to celebrate.
The extent to which Turkey has a free media has long been a sensitive subject. It became even more so after the government detained another group of journalists in March -- among them award-winning reporters Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener. ...more...
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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/blogreview/2011/05/13/blog-02

Freedom House: media freedom keeps deteriorating globally

se times
3/05/2011

Turkey was among eight countries with "significant declines in press freedom" last year.
(Balkans.com - 03/05/11; Freedom House web site, RFE/RL, VOA, Albeu.com, Dnevnik.bg - 02/05/11)
Access to free and independent media continued to decline across the globe in 2010 to reach its lowest point in more than a decade, the US-based watchdog Freedom House said in a report published on Monday (May 2nd), the eve of World Press Freedom Day. ...more...
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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/05/03/feature-01

US ambassador meets with Turkish journalists

se times

15/04/2011
"We ask the same questions that you do," Ambassador Frank Ricciardone told a correspondents' association in Ankara.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for Southeast European Times -- 15/04/11

International qualms over press freedom in Turkey have come to the fore again, with the OSCE and the US ambassador to Turkey both weighing in on the issue. ...more...

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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/04/15/feature-01

Turkey's Erdogan rejects accusations of government pressure on media

se times

14/04/2011
None of the 26 journalists arrested in Turkey last month were detained because of their professional activities, says the prime minister.
(Zaman, BIA News Center - 14/04/11; Hurriyet, World Bulletin, RFE/RL, Dnevnik.bg, Council of Europe - 13/04/11)

Addressing the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on Wednesday (April 13th), Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected allegations that his government has curbed freedom of expression. ...more...

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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/04/14/feature-01

Report: Turkey is holding 57 journalists in prison

b92.net World Tuesday 5.04.2011 10:54

Source: IPI VIENNA -- The International Press Institute (IPI) obtained a report from the OSCE indicating that Turkey is currently holding at least 57 journalists in prison. This number is apparently more than any other country, said an IPI statement, supported by the South and East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO)....more...

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http://www.b92.net/eng/news/world-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=04&dd=05&nav_id=73627

Turkey condemned for "raids in search of unpublished book"

b92.net

Source: IPI VIENNA -- Turkey has been condemned for raids staged by its police last week in search of draft copies of an unpublished book by imprisoned journalist Ahmet Sik. The book reportedly focuses on the influence of an alleged Islamic group within the country's police force, the International Press Institute (IPI) said in a statement....more...

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http://www.b92.net/eng/news/world-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=03&dd=29&nav_id=73493

Balkan leaders back UN's Libya no-fly zone resolution

se times

read more: se times

21/03/2011
Balkan nations have pledged to help enact all measures aimed at protecting civilians from the regime in Tripoli.
(Zaman, ACT Media, Euobserver - 21/03/11; Hurriyet, ANA-MPA, Albeu.com, Bulgarian Foreign Ministry website - 20/03/11; Sofia News Agency, The Sofia Echo, Zaman, Croatian Times, Bulgarian Presidency website - 19/03/11; UN News Centre - 17/03/11)

Balkan leaders have voiced support for UN Security Council Resolution 1973, approving the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya and the use of "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from attacks by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces. ...more...

se times

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/03/21/feature-01

Protests in Turkey over arrested journalists

se times

16/03/2011
Accusations fly as the debate over press freedom heats up.
By Alina Lehtinen for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 16/03/11

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted sharply on Monday (March 14th) to criticism that media freedom in Turkey is taking a turn for the worse. He accused the international press of creating a "defamation campaign", and urged journalists to analyse events properly.
"There is no balance in this report," Erdogan said of a document issued last week by the EU which criticised what it said were pressures being put on the media. "The wording of this report does not reflect the press freedom in Turkey."
The debate has heated up since the recent detention of seven journalists for alleged involvement in the so-called "Ergenekon" plot to topple the government. ...more...

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http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/03/16/feature-02