Turkey’s Hidden Truths
Selin Girit looks at Turkey’s anti-terror laws, which have been used to jail dozens of journalists over the last six months.
After a three-year freeze, Turkey has restarted negotiations to join the European Union. Tourism and the economy are booming. And yet the country remains one of the biggest jailers of journalists in the world. Intimidation is rife and self-censorship commonplace. Critics of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accuse him of becoming increasingly authoritarian, particularly against anyone he regards as opposing his government.
Turkey has notoriously vague and extensive anti-terror laws which have been used to jail dozens of journalists over the last six months. Journalists say these laws have been used as a pretext to prevent them from reporting on subjects the government finds sensitive, such as the Kurdish issue or Turkey’s policy towards Syria.
The coverage of protests last summer in Istanbul, sparked by plans to build over a park, also drew the ire of the prime minister and other members of the government. Following her reporting of these protests, the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Selin Girit, was the target of a hate campaign on Twitter – begun by a senior Turkish politician. She received threats of rape and murder. For Freedom 2014, the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s season of programmes looking at what freedom means today, Selin returns to Turkey to investigate why journalists so often find themselves under attack from the authorities.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Next
Broadcasts
- Sat 1 Feb 2014 19:06GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Online
- Sun 2 Feb 2014 15:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Online
Featured in...
The Making of Modern Turkey—Assignment
Interviews, documentaries & voices from 20th and 21st century Turkey.
Freedom 2014 Season—Freedom 2014
Whether it's freedom from surveillance or freedom to be single, what is freedom?