Turkish ruling party mulls press freedom restrictions July 13, 2012 - 19:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Members of the ruling Justice and Development Party have proposed a series of amendments to the Constitution Conciliation Council that may gravely limit press freedom in Turkey, Hürriyet Daily News reported. The proposed changes will allow the government to limit press freedom in a variety of scenarios that include cases of "national security" and "public morals." Public order, prevention of crime and ensuring the objectivity of judicial authorities may also be used by the government to interfere with the press. Publications containing "child abuse, sexual content and violence" will also be open to state limitation. The abolition of laws exempting publication houses from providing financial securities and permits before opening were also proposed by AKP deputies. The AKP proposal also foresees the ending of laws regarding the "protection of tools of press," allowing police forces to confiscate all materials from locations as diverse as publication houses and press vehicles. Partner news  Top stories U.S. officials say they want to advance efforts to start talks between the Syrian government and opposition leaders. The international conference, backed by Russia and the U.S., aims to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Nuland, a career foreign service officer who was until recently State's top spokesperson, was expected to be nominated the post. Alkhatib said Assad should respond within 20 days and that he should then be given a month to dissolve parliament.   Partner news |  Latest news Israeli security expert says Syrian hacker attack foiled  Israel refuses to comment on the strike but officials at the time said Iranian missiles set for Hezbollah were hit.Gyumri to host Europe Day celebrations The celebrations will feature a small information fair, with EU project representatives to brief the visitors on the initiatives launched.1st Armenian interactive fairy tale available for iPhone/iPod Touch The tale sparked great interest in Diaspora. Such projects, namely interactive version of “Alice in Wonderland”, are popular abroad.Expert says Russian FM’s remarks in context of Madrid Principles No decisive developments will follow the meeting between Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, David Jamalyan said. |
