Keyword: Freedoms
Turkish editor hits out at media coercion under Erdoğan
Segments of the Turkish media remain fiercely anti-government, however, including secularist dailies Sözcü and Cumhuriyet, and more recently Zaman and Bugün, which are close to Gülen and have become more critical since the graft scandal erupted.
Azeri NGOs harshly criticize Zeynalov’s deportation from Turkey
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, founder of the youth group Positive Changes, said in an interview with Today’s Zaman that Zeynalov’s deportation from Turkey has the potential to damage the country’s international reputation. “For democratic countries, freedom of speech is the main pillar of free media. We cannot speak about stable democracy in states where this pillar is not strong. The governments who are shaking this pillar might cast a serious shadow over all of the positive work they have been doing for a long time,” Hajiyev said.
PM Erdoğan: Internet bill protesters are defenders of immorality
Media outlets ran stories based on leaked voice recordings and the documents of a second probe, which has been stalled since Dec. 25, 2014, when the government started removing or reassigning thousands of police officers and police chiefs as well as the prosecutors carrying out the investigation. The press has since reported that the depths of corruption within the government is actually a lot bigger than initially assumed.
With happy life left behind, hardship awaits us as exiled family
Determined to fight back and continue with his honorable work, I’m proud of my husband who has raised his voice in the face of injustice and amid threats. This, I believe, is worthwhile despite our grief and hardship in the short run. The prime minister who did this to us, however, will be remembered in history as a leader who sent a family to exile for a simple tweet.
Turkey Deports Journalist for Criticizing Government on Twitter
The editor in chief of Today’s Zaman, Bulent Kenes, said that Mr. Zeynalov’s deportation was an attempt to intimidate the foreign news media after Mr. Erdogan’s government had moved to suppress critical reporting in the local media. “I consider his deportation as a lesson the government tries to teach at micro level,” Mr. Kenes said. “It is intimidation of everyone doing international journalism.”
US calls Turkey to uphold fundamental freedoms after Zeynalov’s deportation
When asked about Zeynalov being deported by the Turkish government, US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said, “We are looking into these unsettling reports. As we have said, we have been and continue to be strong advocates for freedom of expression around the world, and we believe that democracies are strengthened by the diverse voices of their people. We look to Turkey as a democracy and ally to uphold the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.”
The last refuge of losers: deporting a journalist
İHSAN YILMAZ I am sure most of our readers know my Today’s Zaman colleague Mahir Zeynalov better than they know me. He is a very accomplished Twitter user. His Turkish twitter account has 57,000 followers and the English one has 87,000 followers. Last year, he was chosen as one of the 10 most effective twitter […]
Turkish paper says journalist expelled for criticizing Erdogan
“A body linked to the prime minister received a tip that I insulted high-level officials and informed the Interior Ministry (which) decided to deport me,” Zeynalov said by phone from the Azeri capital Baku, adding his application to renew his permit to work as a journalist in Turkey had been denied last month.
Today’s Zaman journalist faces deportation [from Turkey] over critical tweets on government
Zeynalov, a national of Azerbaijan, has been put on a list of foreign individuals who are barred from entering Turkey under Law No. 5683, because of “posting tweets against high-level state officials,” The move comes in an already-troubling atmosphere for media freedom. Late on Wednesday, Parliament passed a controversial bill tightening government control over the Internet in a move that critics say is aimed at silencing dissent.
Is the March 30 referendum in danger?
It has become very evident that some businessmen who benefitted illegally in major state tenders acquired independent media, a person very close to Erdoğan was appointed as the editor-in-chief and that this media organ became a mouthpiece of Erdoğan. Independent civil society groups such as the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TÜSİAD) and the Hizmet movement are constantly depicted as traitors and the puppets of international dark forces by Erdoğan.
President Gül dismisses calls to help tackle political turmoil
During a press conference held on Monday, the GYV, whose honorary chairman is Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, stated that a hate crime is being carried out against the Hizmet movement in Turkey and called on President Gül to take the initiative to investigate the executive branch’s recent attempts to render the judiciary dysfunctional.
