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                  Ankara Under Fire for Journalists' Treatment

   by Marissa Melton

   The European Union has strongly criticized Turkey for its record on
   media freedom in its annual report on the progress of prospective EU
   members. The EU says "increasing concerns" about court cases against
   reporters endanger Turkey's bid for membership.

   The rights group International Federation of Journalists reports there
   are around 75 journalists currently jailed in Turkey, mainly because of
   how they covered issues deemed by the government to be controversial.

   The Turkish government, which calls [1]this week's EU report biased,
   says the journalists are being held for crimes such as supporting
   conspiracies against the government or "aiding terrorists" by
   publishing detailed articles on national security issues, such as the
   Kurdish insurgency.

   The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists is expected to release
   a report later this month detailing the state of media freedom in
   Turkey.

   "Turkey has a legal problem," said Nina Ognianova, an analyst with CPJ.
   "According to local groups, at the end of last year, 2011, there had
   been between 3,000 and 5,000 pending cases - criminal cases - against
   journalists on a variety of charges that stretch from insulting
   `Turkishness' to trying to influence the outcome of a trial."

   Ognianova said the prosecutions, as well as imprisonment of
   journalists, are possible because of vaguely written Turkish laws
   against terrorism that can be misused by authorities.

   Government demands

   Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that
   Turkish media stop covering Kurdish issues, saying coverage of the
   Kurdish separatist movement turns the media into a platform for
   separatist propaganda.

   Ahmet Sik is a freelance journalist who spent 13 months in prison with
   a colleague for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.

   After intense international pressure on Ankara to free them, the two
   men were released in April, although they still face charges. Sik said
   he and his colleague were jailed because the topics they covered
   embarrassed the government.

   But Sik said detention is not the only method the government uses to
   curb journalists. Some reporters have been fired, demoted, or subjected
   to public embarrassment.

   "By illegal means, either by sex tapes or phone tapping recordings,
   they are undermined, made victims of a smearing," Sik said.

   Sik suspects he was detained because of a book he was writing on police
   corruption.

   Sik's colleague, Nedim Åener, wrote two books detailing the 2007
   assassination of a prominent journalist, Hrant Dink.

   Sener said his phones were tapped after he published a book in 2009
   accusing the government of involvement in the Dink murder. He told VOA
   in July that the official reason for his arrest is a trumped up
   conspiracy charge.

   "The stories I covered disturbed the state," he said.

   State pressure

   The state pressure also extends to media conglomerates.

   The Dogan Media Group, which owns print, online, and broadcast outlets,
   including CNN Turk and TNT, has been criticized by Erdogan for
   publishing stories critical of the government.

   At two political rallies in February 2009, Erdogan called on the public
   to boycott Dogan newspapers, saying they carried "incorrect news."

   Days later, the Dogan Group was slapped with a crippling tax fine of
   more than $3 billion, forcing the company to sell off many of its
   assets in an attempt to stay afloat.

   A representative for Dogan told VOA in an email that the tax fine issue
   has been resolved but added: "We don't want to talk about it."

   Turkish leaders defend the government's actions against the press.

   Questioned by CNN in September, Erdogan said he welcomes criticism, but
   added he will not tolerate insults toward himself or his family. He
   said he filed defamation lawsuits against some of his critics but later
   withdrew them.

   US dilemma

   The U.S. treads a fine line in dealing with its ally, Turkey, on
   media-freedom issues.

   The U.S. ambassador, Frances Ricciardone, told VOA's Turkish service
   that media freedom "remains a mixed picture" in Turkey. He said the
   number of journalists in jail creates a "chilling effect" that calls
   the state of freedom of expression into question.

   Meanwhile, those pressing for more media freedom in Turkey say
   international pressure is keeping the government from further
   crackdowns on journalists.

   Sik and Sener said their release was triggered by popular support. Sik
   said that he has "close witnesses" who say Erdogan issued a special
   order for their release.

   The Turkish government did not respond to requests for comment.

   Still, many of Sik and Sener's colleagues remain detained.

   Sik has a fresh indictment issued against him for "threatening and
   defaming civil servants in their duties."

   The Turkish government says Sik's public comments contain allegations
   that could tarnish the honor of the officials he criticized.

   The Committee to Protect Journalists calls the system of jailing
   journalists a "revolving door."

   Last year, CPJ detailed eight cases of journalists imprisoned because
   of their work.

   A year later, two are still in detention.

   Ahmet Birsin, general manager of a pro-Kurdish television news station,
   was jailed in April 2009 after police raided his office at night,
   seizing archival material, cameras, and broadcast equipment. He was
   imprisoned for 14 months before being indicted.

   Bedri Adanir, owner of the pro-Kurdish publishing house Aram, was
   jailed in January 2010. His charges of spreading terrorist propaganda
   stemmed from the publication of a book written by Kurdish militant
   leader Abdullah Ocalan.

   Adanir requested to be released on bail while awaiting trial, but that
   request was denied. Adanir has already served a 15-month prison
   sentence on similar propaganda charges.

   Like other Turkish journalists under fire, he appears to have another
   long legal battle ahead of him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/turkish-government-treatment-of-journ
   alists/1525372.html

References

   1. http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2012/package/tr_rapport_2012_en.pdf
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/turkish-government-treatment-of-journalists/1525372.html