Writer and politician Mahmut Alınak gets released
Mahmut Alınak, Kurdish writer and politician, was released at the first hearing of the case brought against him with a motion for life in imprisonment. Alınak had been in prison for two months
Police intervention at the funeral of İbrahim Gökçek
The police attacked the farewell ceremony that was meant to be held in Gazi neighbourhood before sending the body of İbrahim Gökçek, bassist of Grup Yorum, to Kayseri. Gökçek’s parents were also stopped at the entrance of the Djemevi for a criminal record check
Grup Yorum member İbrahim Gökçek dies
Grup Yorum member İbrahim Gökçek had agreed to take a break on his protest following some positive talks after 323 days on hunger strike protesting against concert bans and repression. The band announced the death of Gökçek , who was being treated in intensive care, on their social media account
Joint statement from human rights defenders
Solidarity Network for Human Rights Defenders, which also includes Punto24 Platform for Independent Journalism, has reacted to the statements of the Directorate of Religious Affairs who had used discriminatory statements and condemned the investigations opened into Ankara and Diyarbakır bar associations. The statement requested that an investigation be initiated for all related individuals and institutions to end hate speech that regularly target LGBTI + rights advocates and organizations
Journalism in times of calamity: So, what exactly did Fatih Portakal do?
Crackdown on journalists is on the rise during the corona pandemic. In Turkey, President Erdoğan filed a criminal complaint against Fox News anchor-man and journalist Fatih Portakal for spreading lies and manipulating the public through his social media posts. The story is always the same wherever you go: Fatih Portakal in Turkey, journalist Ana Lalic in Serbia, the law recently enacted in Vietnam, and the measures taken by the media supervision authority Roskomnadzor in Russia. Reporters continue to be accused with such vague language as “spreading fake news”, “sowing fear”, and “causing panic”
RTÜK President: We will not allow immorality in internet broadcasts
Participating in the homophobic campaign of Yeni Akit against ‘Aşk 101’ series, RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin said that RTÜK, which undertakes the task of supervising internet broadcasting, will not allow broadcasts that are “contrary to the national and moral values of the society” and that “may adversely affect the physical and spiritual development of children and young people”
Cinema on trial: Timeline of the Bakur trial
In Turkey, directors of the documentary movie Bakur (North) were sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison. This marked one of the harshest penalties imposed so far over the allegation of “disseminating terrorist group propaganda”. Speak Up Platform prepared a timeline of the Bakur trial and the developments surrounding it
Investigations for coronavirus coverage on the rise
Journalists reporting on the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world are coming under increasing pressure. According to the International Press Institute report, six journalists from Turkey were either investigated or questioned in March due to their coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
Joint statement from Speak Up Platform and Freemuse: Remove the bans on Grup Yorum
Speak Up Platform / P24 Independent Journalism Platform and Freemuse made a statement after the death of Helin Bölek who had been on hunger strike…
“Books can not make someone immoral but they can talk about immoral people’’
While reactions to the recent decision to ban the distribution and sales of the book entitled ‘Declaration of the Rights of the Girls in Turkey for ‘being obscene publication’, Buket Uzuner’s book that was initially published 34 years ago was censored too, on the grounds that it could have an adverse effect on the spiritual well-being of children under 18