C 15/88
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
12.1.2022
Wednesday 19 May 2021
25.
Reiterates the importance of media freedom and independence as one of the core values of the EU and a cornerstone of any democracy; expresses serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information in Turkey, where anti-terror legislation is frequently misused with the aim of muzzling criticism, amid a suffocating lack of pluralism in the media; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom and freedom of speech on social media platforms as a matter of priority, including by reforming Article 299 of its Criminal Code (on insulting the President), which is consistently abused to persecute writers, reporters, columnists and editors, and to immediately release and acquit all unlawfully detained journalists, writers, media employees and social media users for exercising their profession and civil rights; notes that, even though in the last year the number of journalists in prison has decreased from 160 to over 70, this number remains very high and continues to be a cause of serious concern, and that too often people are jailed for unsubstantial reasons; calls on the Turkish authorities to demonstrate zero tolerance towards all incidents of physical and verbal abuse or threats against journalists, and to allow media outlets which have been arbitrarily closed to reopen; is deeply concerned by the decision of the Istanbul provincial court of 20 October 2020 to overturn the previous acquittal and retry once again Reporters Without Borders Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu, human rights defender Şebnem Korur Fincancı and the writer and journalist Ahmet Nesin, who are accused of several crimes, including spreading terrorist propaganda, because of their participation in a solidarity campaign with a newspaper, and are facing up to 14,5 years in prison;
26.
Is seriously concerned about the negative impact the Law on the Arrangement of Internet Publication and Combatting Crimes Committed Through These Publications of July 2020 will have on freedom of expression, as it places new draconian obligations on social media providers, gives the government sweeping powers to censor online content and provides further grounds for the prosecution of social media users; notes the lifting of the ban on Wikipedia, but stresses that over 400 000 websites remain blocked and several restrictions on the use of social media continue to be in force;
27.
Is deeply concerned about the lack of independence and impartiality of public entities, such as the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and the Press Advertising Agency (BİK), which are being used as a tool to arbitrarily suspend, ban, fine or financially strangle media outlets considered to be critical of the government, allowing for almost complete control of mass media; regrets the cancellation in 2019 of more than 700 press cards by the presidency’s Directorate of Communications and the difficulties that local and international journalists encounter while doing their job;
28.
Commends the existence of a vibrant, plural, engaged and heterogeneous civil society in Turkey, in spite of the massive political crackdown, as it represents one of the few remaining checks on the Turkish Government and has the potential to help the country confront its deep political and social challenges; is deeply worried about the further backsliding affecting the freedoms of assembly and association and denounces the arbitrary closure of civil society organisations, including prominent human rights non-governmental organisations and media; condemns, in this context, the new Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction of December 2020, which grants the Turkish Interior Ministry and the president extensive authority to restrict the activities of non-governmental organisations, business partnerships, independent groups and associations and appears to be aimed at further limiting, restricting and controlling civil society; strongly supports the call by several UN special representatives on the Government of Turkey to review this legislation in order to ensure compliance with Turkey’s international human rights obligations; calls on Turkey to view critical or dissenting voices, including human rights defenders, academics and journalists, as valuable contributors to social dialogue, rather than destabilising forces;
29.
Deplores the massive deterioration of academic freedom in Turkey, in particular the continuous breaches of the rights of Peace Academics, despite the Constitutional Court decision of July 2019, and the amendments to the Turkish Higher Education Council Law, which add additional restrictive measures to the ones already in force;
30.
Condemns the violent repression by Turkish authorities of the protests related to the appointment by the government of the rector of Boğaziçi University; is appalled by the mass detention of students, the excessive use of force by the police in peaceful demonstrations, the Istanbul governor’s decision to selectively ban all kinds of meetings and demonstrations in the area surrounding the university, the depiction of protestors — namely students, alumni and academics — as terrorists and the targeting of LGBTI groups; calls on Turkey to drop charges and release those arbitrarily detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly;