Independent Communication Network (BIA) launched the ‘January-March 2018 Media Monitoring Report’. According to the report, 121 journalists entered April in prison. 301 journalists, columnists, editorial executives and cartoonists were put on trial within the three-month period; 48 of them were convicted due to ‘coup attempt’, ‘illegal organization propaganda’, ‘illegal organization membership’, ‘denigrating government institutions’ and ‘insulting the President’ with sentences of 3 life imprisonments and a total of 210 years, 5 months and 22 days of imprisonment.
Eight journalists were sentenced to a total of 16 years, 7 months and 22 days of imprisonment (with 3 years, 2 months and 22 days of imprisonment deferred) as well as 21 thousand TL judicial fine only in the cases filed due to ‘insulting the President’ in accordance with Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. Four journalists were acquitted and 10 journalists are still on trial with claims of imprisonment for a total of 46 years, 6 months and 6 days. New lawsuits were filed against three journalists due to insulting Erdoğan in the first quarter of 2018; investigations against journalist Ahmet Şık, Evrensel Editor-In-Chief Fatih Polat and Cumhuriyet newspaper reporter Alican Uludağ still haven’t turned into lawsuits. In this case, 28 journalists have become the victim, defendant or suspect of Erdoğan within the first quarter of the year.
Nine websites, 73 news, 5 newspapers, 3 newspaper articles, one TV series, one letter and one report were censored in the same period. On e other hand 35 online news articles were censored after interpreting the official response given by Parliamentary Spokesman Ismail Kahraman on child abuse as ‘protecting child abuse’.
For the full report: https://goo.gl/dHwQAC
03.05.2018
bianet.org