P24 Platform for Independent Journalism

The most common accusations faced by journalists on trial were ‘insult’ and ‘terrorism’ related charges.

Ahead of the elections, Expression Interrupted analyses the approaches to media regulation and free speech of the two leading candidates: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

“The judicial process has become deformed under political influence and turned into an act of deprivation of liberty by abuse of power” – Osman Kavala

Expression Interrupted’s report shows that freedom of expression and the media continues to deteriorate in Turkey, despite an ongoing decline in the number of journalists in prison and government “reforms”.

Expression Interrupted, a project undertaken by the P24 Platform for Independent Journalism, has published the first of its regular ‘Freedom of Expression and the Press Agenda’ reports.

Altan and his co-defendant Nazlı Ilıcak, whose conviction was also overturned, were sentenced in November 2019 to 10 years and 6 months and 8 years and 9 months in prison respectively, on the charge of “aiding a terrorist organization”.

Noting that there was no indication that Altan’s actions had been part of a deliberate plan to overthrow the government, the ECtHR ruled that Altan has been unlawfully detained and accused without reasonable suspicion of involvement in an illegal organisation and the 2016 attempted coup.

“The lack of a clear implementation schedule, the exclusion of NGOs in the mechanism for protection of human rights and failure to word the measures to be taken in concrete language raise doubts about the implementation of the plan”.