Opposition calls on Erdogan to stop repression of journalists

The Turkish regime has been lambasted in Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2021 for using the COVID-19 pandemic to continue its assault on human rights and the rule of law.

Throughout 2020, prominent figures critical of the regime remained detained. Among those still detained are Osman Kavala, a human rights defender; Ahmet Altan, a writer; Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, former co-chairs of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Over the course of 2020, in collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal, the International Observatory of Human Rights released a number of reports documenting the human rights abuses being committed by this regime. This included reports on the state of torture in turkey, enforced disappearances, press freedom and impunity.

The human rights situation in Turkey has worsened over the past 12 months. As of 15 January 2021, an estimated 87 journalists and media workers were in pretrial detention or are imprisoned as a result of fabricated ‘terrorism offences’, contributing to Turkey’s ranking of 154th in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2020 World Press Freedom Index.

Turkey is the world’s biggest jailer of professional journalists and the average journalist spends longer than a year in pre-trial detention.

Journalists are routinely subjected to long jail sentences, illustrated at the close of the year when well-known journalist Can Dündar was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison on charges of spying and abetting a terrorist organisation.

The Turkish regime has also put considerable effort into persuading Turkish citizens away from the popular messaging application WhatsApp, and towards the local application Havelsan. 

Many human rights organizations and media professionals are concerned the app could be used to help Turkish authorities tighten their grip on internet censorship and spy on users.

Since 2016 and a failed coup attempt, the Erdogan regime has consistently and arbitrarily targeted dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders and members of civil society to cement his grip on power.