Kurdish

8 results arranged by date

French journalist Cemil Şanlı receives death threat, accosted outside home

Berlin, March 16, 2023 — French authorities should thoroughly investigate threats and insults received by journalist Cemil Şanlı and take immediate steps to ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the morning of March 2, Şanlı, a broadcast journalist for the privately owned independent news outlet Le Média TV, received a…

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Newly released from Turkish prison, Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent reflects on sham prosecution

Nedim Türfent knows why he spent six and a half years of his life behind bars as a convicted terrorist in Turkey. The court that sentenced him explained the verdict in official documents: Because he writes “exaggerated and disturbing news stories” about the state.   After his prison term ended in November 2022, “It was…

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A man films as police detain a protester during a demonstration in Istanbul against the replacement of Kurdish mayors with state officials in three cities, on August 20. CPJ spoke with six journalists about the challenges of reporting and covering news in Turkey. (AFP/Yasin Akgul)

In Turkey, reporting is a daily struggle

Turkey is notorious as a leading jailer of journalists worldwide, a fact that can overshadow the other problems for its press. Alongside the risk of arrest, journalists must contend with daily interference. From police denying reporters access to courtrooms, arbitrarily moving them on or forcing them to leave certain areas when they are reporting on…

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during a parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on June 25, 2019. Two journalists are to stand trial, in separate cases, on charges of insulting the president. (AFP/Adem Altan)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 23, 2019

‘Insult’ trial for Free Journalists Initiative spokesperson Hakkı Boltan, a spokesperson for the Free Journalists Initiative (ÖGİ), is due to stand trial in Diyarbakır on charges of “insulting the president” and “insulting a public servant because of their duty,” the news website Gazete Karınca reported. The charges are related to Boltan’s public statements about President…

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The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The court has ruled in favor of a pro-Kurdish journalist persecuted by Turkish authorities. (AFP/Frederick Florin)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 10, 2019

Court convicts Gün Printing House owner and staff An Istanbul court on March 11 convicted seven employees of the Gün Printing House, including the owner, Kasım Zengin, of anti-state charges and sentenced them to prison, the pro-Kurdish Mezopatamya News Agency reported. The court acquitted 15 other employees who were also on trial.

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Turkish and European Union flags pictured in Istanbul's financial and business district in August. Turkey continues its crackdown on press freedom, with more journalists detained and questioned over their reporting this week. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of October 4, 2018

Journalist sentenced to over 7 years in jail A court in the eastern Muş city on October 10 sentenced Seda Taşkın, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency (MA), to a total of seven years and six months in prison, her employer reported. Taşkın attended the hearing via teleconference from the Sincan Women’s Prison,…

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Pedestrians walk along Istiklal Street, in central Istanbul, in 2016. Police on March 28 raided the pro-Kurdish daily Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, based in the district. (AFP/Yasin Akgul)

Turkish authorities seize control of pro-Kurdish national daily

Istanbul, March 28, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the takeover today by a government-affiliated body of one of the last remaining pro-Kurdish national dailies and called for authorities to immediately release at least 10 media staff detained during the raid and to return the outlet to its rightful management.

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Kurdish journalist given 138 years in prison in Turkey

New York, January 10, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the conviction and outlandish sentencing of Emine Demir, the former editorial manager of the Kurdish-language daily Azadiya Welat. Demir was given 138 years in prison in connection with dozens of articles in the paper. CPJ called today for Turkish authorities to overturn the sentence on appeal and end the…

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