The Susma [Don’t Be Silent] Platform shared its annual censorship and self-censorship report covering the period between January 1 and December 31, 2021 with the public. In the report, which deals with censorship cases in the fields of media, social media, cinema, theater, music, visual, written and digital publishing throughout the year, a special emphasis was placed on self-censorship, as well as on forms of systematized censorship through prohibition, judicial and administrative judicial processes. Some of the findings in the report are as follows;
– Trials against journalists continued with full speed, the area of freedom of the press was further narrowed by political, administrative and financial mechanisms. Journalists were also subjected to physical preventions and attacks.
– Lawsuits against musicians within the scope of “propaganda” and “insulting the president” and banning their concerts were the prominent forms of violation in the field of music last year.
– Many concerts and festivals were banned on the grounds of the pandemic, many artists and events were criminalized for reasons like the “protection of national security and public order”.
– 2021 was a year in which a lot of judicial penalties were given in addition to administrative penalties in the field of television and internet broadcasting.
– Singing in Kurdish in prison, on the street, at a concert, playing or talking about theater in Kurdish, acting as a comedian in Kurdish, applauding and listening to a Kurdish song were among the topics of this year’s investigations.
– The decisions for inappropriate publication announcements and the reasons put forward for these decisions revealed how censorship in the field of broadcasting became “legalized” and institutionalized.
– Books were used as evidence in investigations and lawsuits, were confiscated, publishing houses were shut down and made subject to investigations.
Please click here for the full report.
08.02.2021
susma24.com