http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/113147/435-though-crimes-in-turkey-in-2008
Bia Media Monitoring Report 2008 Summary
435 "Thought Crimes" in Turkey in 2008
In 2008, the political landscape in Turkey became more polarised and the
Kurdish question remained unresolved. Both government and army displayed
intolerance toward criticism of their performance and questioning of rights
violations. Freedom of expression and of the press both took a considerable
step backwards.
In the last year, 82 people were tried under the controversial Article 301,
concerned with the "denigration" of the state and state organs; five people
were convicted.
"Insult" cases on the rise
Twenty-three people stood accused of "inciting hatred and hostility among
people". Seventy-four -among them, four caricaturists and 47 journalists-
were tried for "insulting" others. In total, the compensation claims in
these insult cases amount to 1,885,500 TL (approx. 855,711 euro).
One of the claimants is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has
targeted the Dogan Media Group, publicly saying, "Do not buy these
newspapers." Claims by him and his family have resulted in the convictions
of Perihan Magden ("Radikal" newspaper), Cemal Subasi ("Tempo" magazine)
and Mehmet Cagcag ("Leman" satirical magazine). He is also claiming
compensation from Melih Kaskar ("Milas Onder" newspaper).
It is thus not surprising that Turkey is ranked 102nd out of 173 countries,
according to Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) Freedom of the Press Index.
BİA Media Monitoring Report
The BIA annual media monitoring report provides information on 506 court
cases, in which a total of 854 people from 305 newspapers were affected.
This number shows that social tensions are rising. A total of 435
journalists, writers, publishers, human rights activists, politicians and
children were taken to court in 2008 because of their opinions. In 2007,
this number
stood at 254.
The 113-page annual BIA Media Monitoring Report recorded freedom of
expression violations in chronological order under the following headings:
"Attacks and threats", "Detentions and arrests", "Press freedom and the
freedom of expression in court", "Adjustments and seeking justice",
"European Court of Human Rights", "Reactions to censorship" and "RTÜK
practices".
For the full text of the report summary, see:
http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/113147/435-though-crimes-in-turkey-in-2008
For further information contact Nadire Mater at BIANET, Faikpasa Yokusu,
No. 41, Antikhane, Kat: 3, D.8-9, Cukurcuma, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey,
tel: +90 212 251 1503, fax: +90 212 251 1609, e-mail: bia@bianet.org,
Internet: http://www.bianet.org
International PEN Writers in Prison Committee Caselist July-December 2008
Now Available
The latest edition of the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of
International PEN's twice yearly case list is now available (see:
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/files/dmfile/CaselistJulyDec2008.pdf ).
This report gives summary details of the 623 cases of attacks on writers
and journalists worldwide in the six-month period between July and December
2008.
Over the 12 months of 2008, the WiPC monitored 877 attacks against writers,
journalists, poets, publishers, playwrights, lyricists and others who use
the written word to spread ideas and to forge change.
Of these, twenty four were killed. In some cases it is unclear whether they
were targeted for their writings, in others it is certain. In all cases the
deaths make others stop to think whether they too can take the risk of
speaking out. That the number of killings is less than half of that of the
previous years is reason for optimism. The drop was mainly due to an
improvement for the safety of journalists in Iraq, which, until last year,
accounted for almost half the deaths. In 2008, this figure had dropped to
just three.
Of growing concern to PEN is the situation in Sri Lanka where six
journalists were murdered in 2008 and many others live under threat.
Lasantha Wickrematunga, a highly respected Sri Lankan editor, was
assassinated in January 2009. He had been on the WiPC's records for a
number of years as a victim of numerous death threats. His death is a
terrible testimony to how serious these threats can be. The WiPC recorded
almost 200 death threats and attacks in 2008. As data on such attacks is
difficult to gather, and often not reported, this should be seen as an
underestimate.
Long term imprisonment - from a few months to many years - remains a
serious problem that is central to the WiPC's concerns. In 2008, it
recorded 195 such cases, 133 of which are of people serving sentences
clearly related to their writings. China, Burma, Iran, Cuba, Uzbekistan,
Eritrea and Vietnam remain, as they have for many years, the countries most
likely to imprison their dissenting writers and journalists. Other
countries include Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and Cameroon. Hopes
that there would be an improvement in China prior to the Beijing Olympics
in 2008 were dashed. At the beginning of the year, as at the end, around 40
writers and journalists were imprisoned. While some were freed, there were
new arrests, most notably that of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre
Preside, Liu Xiaobo, in the final days of the year. In Burma, a 59-year
sentence was served against the poet, comedian and activist Zarganar,
stunning international human rights monitors. It has since been reduced to
35 years, a sentence that has not been passed against any writer held for
political reasons anywhere in recent decades. He was convicted for
"illegal" activities for setting up an aid programme for the victims of the
devastating Cyclone Nargis.
Longstanding concerns in the Americas, specifically for the 25 writers and
journalists held in Cuba, killings and death threats in Mexico, threats and
trials in Peru, Colombia and Nicaragua, and censorship in Venezuela, led to
the decision to launch a campaign on the Americas to run through 2009. To
read more, see:
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/ipfarcry/conjuror/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20/go/freedom-of-expression/campaigns/freedom-to-write-in-the-americas/freedom-to-write-in-the-americas
In many cases writers are not imprisoned but are subjected to lengthy
trials, sometimes taking many years to conclude. Even if the result is not
imprisonment, the judicial process is an exhausting one, both
psychologically and financially. In some cases it would appear that this is
the purpose of the trials - to punish a writer without the accompanying
international condemnation that imprisonment would bring. Turkey is one
such example where over 70 writers and journalists are presently on trial
under numerous laws that curtail free speech. These trials rarely result in
prison terms, and often the fines levied are relatively small, yet the
prosecutions serve as a warning to those who speak out on sensitive issues
and only those who are willing and able to take the risk can do so.
International PEN members worldwide work to end attacks on their writer
colleagues. There are Writers in Prison Committees in 69 PEN Centres that
take action, including sending letters of protest to governments, staging
events to publicise and support writers under attack, writing articles in
their newspapers, making contact with prisoners and their families, and
generally providing a network of support and solidarity.
To learn more about the work of International PEN's Writers in Prison
Committee, visit:
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/freedom-of-expression
For further information on the Wickrematunga case, see:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99736
For further information on the Xiaobo case, see:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99272
For further information on the Zarganar case, see:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/100937
For further information, contact Sara Whyatt, at the WiPC, International
PEN, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6ER, U.K., tel: +44
207 405 0338, fax: +44 207 405 0339, e-mail:
sara.whyatt@internationalpen.org.uk, wipc@internationalpen.org.uk,
Internet: http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/
The information contained in this press release is the sole responsibility
of WiPC. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit WiPC.