CoE urges Turkey to end systematic violation of journalists’ rights

PanARMENIAN.Net - Freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey need to be addressed in the new constitution as charter amendments previously adopted by the country have been insufficient, a Council of Europe commissioner has said in a new report.

“Despite the progress made by Turkey in recent years regarding free and open debates on previously sensitive issues, the situation of freedom of expression and media freedom remains particularly worrying,” Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg said in the report released on July 12.

“Urgent measures are needed to uphold these rights and foster a more tolerant atmosphere toward criticism and dissent,” he said.

“The amendments adopted so far by Turkey have not been sufficient in dealing with the root causes of numerous violations of the right to freedom of expression found by the European Court of Human Rights,” Hammarberg said.

Another area of concern for the Council of Europe is the penal code and anti-terrorism law which continues to impede freedom of expression in Turkey, according to the commissioner.

“Provisions of these pieces of legislation have been used to disproportionately limit freedom of expression, including journalists, broadcasters and publishers,” Hammarberg said. “Courts and prosecutors interpret and apply existing statutory provisions without due respect to the principle of proportionality and the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning freedom of expression. The authorities should notably introduce into the Turkish legal system the defenses of truth and public interest when assessing the criminal responsibility of journalists.”

Referring to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist, Agos editor Hrant Dink, he called on authorities to step up efforts to effectively protect journalists from violence and intimidation. He also recommended addressing the precarious working conditions of many journalists, in particular investigative ones, and putting an end to the systematic violation of labor rights of media professionals, Hurriyet Daily News reported.