Five Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have committed to support journalists in detention. They are today linking with five imprisoned journalists in Turkey with a view to calling for their immediate release.
The initiative to ‘twin’ MEPs and journalists will be announced at a joint press conference at 14:00 on Tuesday 24 October at the press conference room of the European Parliament and Commission in Strasbourg.
“By offering support to journalists in jail, we want to highlight the personal stories that should never be forgotten,” said Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Italian MEP from the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group.
“These five cases are just some of many. Today, we are calling for the suffering of journalists, and their families and friends, to end now,” said Michaela Šojdrová, a Czech MEP from the European People's Party.
There are currently scores of journalists behind bars in Turkey: the country with the highest number of journalists in detention anywhere in the world. Many are held in pretrial detention, face terrorism-related charges and could face sentences of life imprisonment. Scores of individuals are imprisoned for undertaking their legitimate work as a journalist - without ever advocating violence.
“There cannot be an effective political debate when journalists cannot report or question political leaders without fear of harassment or arrest. As Turkey’s political situation worsens, it remains imperative to offer support to and speak about those imprisoned for their journalism,” said Ms. Tanja Fajon, a Slovenian MEP from the Socialists and Democrats group.
● Ms. Rebecca Harms (Germany, Greens/European Free Alliance) will be twinned with Mr. Ahmet Şık, investigative writer and a reporter for the opposition daily Cumhuriyet. He was arrested in relation to allegations of spreading terrorist propaganda on Twitter, despite having been publicly critical of the Fethullah Gülen organization and written two books on their alleged operations. He was detained on December 29, 2016.
● Mr. Fabio Massimo Castaldo (Italy, Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy) will be twinned with Mr. İnan Kızılkaya, former news editor of the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem. İnan Kızılkaya faces 105 criminal cases on charges of terrorism, including disrupting the unity of the state, insulting the Turkish nation, and insulting the President. Kızılkaya also told prosecutors that police beat him and cursed at him while he was being detained. He has been in jail since August 16, 2016.
● Ms. Tanja Fajon (Slovenia, Socialists and Democrats) will be twinned with Mr. Şahin Alpay, a 72-year-old political scientist and former columnist for the shuttered newspaper Zaman. Şahin Alpay is facing charges of being a member of a terrorist organization and involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt, despite the absence of any evidence he committed any criminal act or incited violence. He was arrested at his home early in the morning of July 27, 2016.
● Mr. Jordi Solé (Spain, Greens/European Free Alliance) will be twinned with Mr. Abdullah Kılıç, former columnist for the shuttered daily newspaper Meydan. Istanbul's First Court of Penal Peace ordered the journalist jailed pending trial on terrorism charges, despite Kılıç having reported critically on FETÖ/PDY. Abdullah Kılıç was detained on July 25, 2016, was to be released by Court decision in March 2017, but re-arrested on additional charges the following day.
● Ms. Michaela Šojdrová (Czech Republic, European People's Party) will be twinned with Mr. Akın Atalay, chief executive officer of Cumhuriyet. As he disembarked from a flight from Berlin on November 11, 2016, he was jailed pending trial on terrorism charges. He was held in relation to news stories and headlines authorities claimed to be FETÖ and PKK propaganda, and a 2015 article alleging that Turkey's intelligence were smuggling weapons to Islamist groups in Syria. Atalay is jailed in Istanbul's Silivri Prison. His next hearing is taking place on October 31, 2017.
The European Parliament has repeatedly condemned the arbitrary imprisonment of many journalists in Turkey and has called for their immediate release, issuing both the European Parliament resolution of 27 October 2016 on the situation of journalists in Turkey and the European Parliament resolution of 6 July 2017 on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey .
“We have a duty to demonstrate international solidarity with every individual detained in Turkey for exercising their free expression,” said Jordi Solé, a Spanish MEP from the Greens/EFA group.
“We support their immediate release and hope they can resume their important work for the future of Turkey,” said Rebecca Harms, a German MEP from the Greens/European Free Alliance group.
