EU Should Press Turkey On Press Freedom Crisis During Upcoming Dialogue - Rights Groups

NEW YORK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2018) Reporters Without Borders and eight other international organizations on Wednesday sent a letter to the European Union delegation urging it to discuss during the scheduled high-level political dialogue with the Turkish government on November 22 the crisis concerning freedom of expression in the country.

"We request you to engage with Turkish authorities with a view to agreeing on concrete actions aimed at the protection of journalists and human rights defenders in Turkey, for the respect of the right to freedom of expression in Turkey," the letter said.

More than 160 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey and hundreds more have been placed on trial for exercising the freedom of expression, the letter noted.

Most of the journalists face charges of affiliation with, or propaganda for a terrorist organization during the failed military coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July of 2016.

Turkey introduced legislation enabling the authorities to target journalists as a temporary measure taken under a proclaimed state of emergency in response to the coup.

The letter pointed out that the recent response of the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) has failed to fully recognize the impact of the repressions against journalists in Turkey.

In addition, the letter said the Turkish authorities have ignored ECHR rulings on journalists.

After the coup, the Turkish authorities said they declared a state of emergency to establish order and ensure the proper functioning of institutions. The authorities have charged that Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen and organizations associated with him, including a network of non-governmental organizations and individuals embedded in Turkey's institutions, were responsible for the coup.

Ankara has requested that the United States, where Gulen resides, be extradited to Turkey, but Washington has not satisfied the demand.