World Press Freedom Day 2017
In 2017 Turkey became the largest jailer of journalists in the world, with President Erdoğan personally filling complaints against critics in a number of cases
“It is a great tragedy that as the urgency for us to speak out against oppressive regimes increases, so too do the restrictions on freedom of expression worldwide.”
Sahar Halaimzai- Campaigns & Communications Manager, PEN International
3 May 2017 – Press freedom is deteriorating globally with journalists and writers increasingly facing harassment, threat, arrest, trial and even death. With increasing crises and conflicts, mass crackdowns on the press and dissent, growing populism and nationalism, freedom of expression is in retreat in all five continents and press freedom has never been so threatened.
Legal harassment, increasing surveillance, and violence by state and non-state actors against journalists combine to worsen conditions in many countries; from those who have long been perpetrators of these sorts of violations such as China to new and emerging systems of oppression such as Turkey – which today is the biggest jailer of journalists.
‘It is a great tragedy that as the urgency for us to speak out against oppressive regimes increases, so too do the restrictions on freedom of expression worldwide. Our global membership includes dozens of writers who are currently behind bars and hundreds more who have experienced death threats, harassment, and arrest because of their work. It is imperative we continue to fight for the safeguarding of freedom of expression as a fundamental right, and essential that we do this together,’ said Sahar Halaimzai, PEN International’s Campaigns and Communications manager.
This year PEN is highlighting press freedom violations in six countries:
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The number of detained and imprisoned writers in China is among the highest in the world and include at least ten ICPC members.
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3 May 2017 - In 2017 Eritrea continues to be one of the worst jailers of writers and dissident voices, earning the dubious honour of the most censored country in the world in 2015. PEN International is aware of at least 17 journalists currently held incommunicado or in circumstances amounting to enforced disappearance, some of whom are believed to have died in the appalling conditions of Eritrean prisons. Their deaths – which have not been officially confirmed – have been attributed to harsh conditions and lack of medical attention. The Foreign Minister of Eritrea claimed in an interview with Radio France Internationale in June 2016 that all of the journalists and politicians arrested in wide-spread crackdown on dissent in 2001 are alive, including Eritrean-Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak, though no proof has been provided. In the same interview, the foreign minister said that these men would be tried ‘when the government decides’ and that they are ‘political prisoners.’
Isaak - who holds Swedish citizenship after spending a number of years in the country during the Eritrean war of independence and the subsequent border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia - is one of many journalists detained incommunicado. Isaak was arrested alongside other journalists as part of the September 2001 crackdown on Eritrea’s independent press. His case is emblematic of the dire situation facing journalists in the country, who have been subjected to systematic arbitrary arrests, intimidations, and enforced disappearances over the years.
On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International renews its calls on the Eritrean authorities to release immediately and unconditionally all journalists detained incommunicado and without trial, including Eritrean-Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2017. Isaak will receive the award during celebrations for World Press Freedom day on 3 May 2017, which will mark his 5701 day behind bars.
Take Action: Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Write a letter to the authorities:
Protesting the detention of Dawit Isaak on politically motivated grounds and without known charges or trial since 2001;
Urging the Eritrean authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Dawit Isaak and other detained journalists and release them immediately and unconditionally;
Expressing concern for Isaak’s health as detainees are believed to have suffered ill treatment, probably torture and lack of access to medical care, as highlighted by the reported deaths of some of the journalists
Send appeals to:
President, His Excellency, Isaias Afewerki, Office of the President, P.O.Box 257, Asmara, Eritrea, Fax: + 2911 125123
Minister of Information: Hon. Yemane Gebremeskel, P.O. Box 242, Asmara, Eritrea, +291 124 847, Twitter: @hawelti
Please send a copy of appeals to the diplomatic representative for Eritrea in your country if possible. Details of some Eritrean embassies can be found here.
Publicity & social media
PEN members are encouraged to share this on social media.
Suggested tweets:
Dawit Isaak & other journos remain detained incommunicado in #Eritrea #freedawitisaak [add link to action paper]
Free Expression is not a crime, it is a human right #Eritrea – free all imprisoned journalists #WPFD2017 [add link to action paper]
Please keep us informed of any action you take, including any responses you receive from the authorities.
Background
Crackdown on dissent
In September 2001, the Eritrean government embarked upon a campaign to silence its critics, arresting opposition politicians, students and many journalists. In May 2001, 15 dissident members (known as the G-15) of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (the current ruling party in Eritrea) published an open letter in which they denounced the President’s abuse of power and presented his actions as “illegal and unconstitutional”. Following the publication of the letter as well as interviews and articles related to the open letter published in the independent newspapers, all dissidents were detained, including 11 members of the G15, who were arrested in Asmara on 18 and 19 September 2001 and accused of crimes against national security and sovereignty. Private newspapers were also banned, with 10 journalists arrested in September 2001 and another two in October 2001. It is unknown whether charges have been brought against them and even if any trial has taken place and there is little official information of their whereabouts and well-being.
The authorities have reportedly claimed that the journalists have been sent to carry out their national service and that the detentions were necessary for the preservation of national unity or due to the newspaper’s lack of compliance with media licenses. In various media interviews over the years, President Isaias Afewerki has referred to the journalists as ‘spies’ in the pay of the CIA. In June 2016, the foreign minister of Eritrea referred to the men arrested in 2001 as ‘political prisoners’. Political commentators have suggested that the media crackdown was an attempt to stamp out criticism of the Eritrean government’s treatment of students and political dissenters, and of its conflict with Ethiopia.
Detained journalists
Dawit Isaak (b. 1964), is one of the journalists arrested as part of the 2001 crackdown. Isaak is a Swedish-Eritrean journalist, playwright, poet, co-owner of ሰቲት (Setit), and one of the co-founders of Shewit Children’s Theatre. Isaak has been detained incommunicado since September 2001. Author of the book (in verses) ባና፤ ታሪኽ ፍቕሪ--ሙሴን ማናን (1988) (Bana: The Affair of Mussie and Mana), Isaac spent a number of years in Sweden during the Eritrean war of independence (1961-1991) and the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia. He returned to his home country after independence and he was actively engaged in different cultural and literary activities and the media. In addition to his later contributions as a journalist in Setit, Isaak is also widely remembered for the short story “እተን ሰላሳ ሽሕ” (The thirtythousand) that was serialized in the national radio in the early days of independence. Isaak was taken into custody with other independent journalists; he was briefly released for a few days in 2005, but taken back to an undisclosed location shortly afterwards and he has not been heard from since.
Isaac reportedly suffers from a diabetic condition that requires medical supervision. In April 2002, it was reported that Isaac had been hospitalized suffering from injuries sustained through his torture. In January 2009, he was reportedly transferred from prison to an Air Force hospital in Asmara as a result of serious illness but was later returned to prison.
In addition to the UNESCO award which he received for his “courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression”, he has also been bestowed the Golden Pen of Freedom award, the Kurt-Tucholsky-Prize, and the Anna Politkovskaya award, among others. Dawit Isaak is an Honorary Member of PEN American Center, PEN Canada, Finnish PEN, Swedish PEN and PEN Eritrea in Exile and many PEN Centres have campaigned on his behalf.
The other journalists detained in September 2001 are as follows:
Said Abdelkadir; Yousif Mohammed Ali; Amanuel Asrat; Temesegen Ghebereyesus; Matheos Habteab; Dawit Habtemichael; Medhanie Haile; Fessaha “Joshua” Yohannes; Seyoum Tsehaye
Journalists detained in October 2001, shortly after the arrest of their colleagues in September 2001:
Idris Said Aba’Are; Sahle “Wedi-Itay” Tseazagab:
For further information about the journalists detained during the 2001 crackdown, as well as those detained at later dates, see PEN’s 2015 case list.
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3 May 2017 –Iran’s cultural landscape remains closely monitored and closed, with its leaders paying little attention to its obligations under international human rights law. Censorship of print and digital media remains common. Writers, journalists, musicians and artists continue to face harassment, threats or arrest in connection with their peaceful exercise of free expression. Those detained are often subjected to ill-treatment, including prolonged periods of solitary confinement.
In a letter to PEN International, imprisoned Iranian journalist and human rights defender, and Honorary Member of Danish, Belgian and Swedish PEN, Narges Mohammadi explained the mental and physical suffering that such practices inflict on inmates, often amounting to torture:
‘solitary confinement is nothing but a closed and dark room. A dimly confined space, deprived of all sounds and all light that can give the inmates a sense of humanity. […] As a humble member of this prestigious organization, I urge all of you, as writers and defenders of the principles of free thought and freedom of speech and expression, to combat the use of solitary confinement as torture, with your pen, speech and all other means. Maybe one day we will be able to close the doors behind us to solitary confinement and no one will be sentenced to prison for criticizing and demanding reforms. I hope that day will come soon.’
On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International renews its calls on the Iranian authorities to safeguard freedom of expression as a fundamental human right and free all those who are imprisoned simply for excessing this right.
Take Action: Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Send appeals to calling on the state of Iran to:
Calling on the Iranian authorities to quash all the convictions of journalist Narges Mohammadi and release her immediately and unconditionally as she is imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression and association;
Abolish all forms of censorship and allow the free dissemination of information in line with international human rights standards;
End the practice of prolonged solitary confinement and other forms of torture and other ill-treatment, in accordance with Iran’s international human rights obligations; Sign and ratify the Convention Against Torture without reservation;
Ensure that the right to freedom of expression in Iran is fully respected in law and practice as provided for under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.
Addresses:
Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader, Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran, Salutation: Your Excellency, Email: info_leader@leader.ir, Twitter: @khamenei_ir
Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah: Sadegh Larijanic/o Public Relations Office Number 4, Deadend of 1 Azizi Above Pasteur Intersection Vali Asr Street Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Salutation: Your Excellency, Email: info@dadiran.ir; info@dadgostary-tehran.ir; info@bia-judiciary.ir And copies to:
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights: Mohammed Javad Larijani c/o Office of the Head of the Judiciary, Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave, South of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Email: larijani@ipm.ir (Subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)
Suggested tweet:
@khamenei_ir @HassanRouhani Defending human rights is not a crime - #Iran must release #NargesMohammadi now!
It is recommended that you send a copy of your appeals via the diplomatic representative for Iran in your country. Contact details for embassies can be found here
Publicity
PEN members are encouraged to:
Publish articles and opinion pieces in your national or local press highlighting the situation about freedom of expression in Iran.
Organise public events, stage readings, press conferences or demonstrations.
Share information about Iran and your campaigning activities for Narges Mohammadi via social media. Suggested hashtag: #FreeNarges
Solidarity
Elect Narges Mohammadi as an Honorary Member of your Centre and by doing so provide long term support and advocacy for her and her family. For details of the PEN International Honorary Membership scheme, read the PEN WiPC Guide to Defending Writers Under Attack (Part V, pgs 15-20). Please let us know if you do so and we will ensure that your Centre is networked with others working on the case.
Send messages of solidarity to Narges Mohammadi. Please contact, Emma Wadsworth-Jones at emma.wadsworth-jones@pen-international.org
Background
Narges Mohammadi is an independent journalist and the former vice-president and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which advocates for human rights reform and represents political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in legal proceedings. She is also involved in campaigning against the death penalty in Iran.
Mohammadi has long suffered from persecution at the hands of the Iranian authorities; she has been banned from travelling abroad since 2009, when the authorities confiscated her passport. The following year, Mohammadi was arrested from her home without a warrant and held in connection with her work with the Defenders of Human Rights Center. Immediately following her release on bail on 1 July 2010, Mohammadi was admitted to hospital for treatment.
PEN International first began working on her case in 2011 when a Tehran court convicted her of ‘acting against the national security’, ‘membership of the DHRC’ and ‘propaganda against the regime’ for her reporting on human rights violations, cooperation with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and visiting political prisoners (see RAN 20/12 and updates). She was sentenced to serve a cumulative sentence of 11 years in prison. The sentence was reduced to six years on appeal in January 2012.
On 21 April 2012, Mohammadi was summoned to Evin prison to serve her sentence. She was released on bail on 30 July 2012 following the severe deterioration of her health.
In May 2015, Mohammadi was arrested days after a fresh trial began on charges including ‘spreading propaganda against the system,’ ‘gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security’ and ‘membership of an illegal organisation whose aim is to harm national security’ (Legam - Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty, an organisation that campaigned against the death penalty in Iran) which had been brought against her in June 2014. At the time of her arrest, intelligence officials are reported to have said that she was being arrested to continue serving her six-year sentence. Her trial was subject to several postponements without any explanation provided by the court.
Mohammadi stood trial on 20 April 2016. According to the Defenders of Human Rights Center, the verdict was communicated to her lawyer on 17 May 2016. Mohammadi was sentenced to five years in prison for ‘gathering and colluding with intent to harm national security’, one year in prison for ‘spreading propaganda against the system’ and 10 years for ‘establishing and running an illegal organisation’ for her work advocating against the death penalty. Under legislation adopted in 2015, a person sentenced to several jail terms is required to serve that with the most severe penalty – in this case, 10 years, which will be added to her previous six-year sentence.
Evidence used against Mohammadi included media interviews she had conducted, her connections to human rights defenders, as well as her activities against the death penalty, including her work with the campaigning group, Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty. It also included her meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Catherin Ashton in March 2014.
On 19 September 2016, Mohammadi attended Branch 36 of Tehran’s Appeal’s Court in order to present evidence against the preliminary sentence; however, she was informed that the court had already reached its verdict, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Before her arrest, Mohammadi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran: ‘I have been ‘charged’ with every single civil activity I have engaged in since my release from Zanjan Prison in August 2012, such as participating in gatherings on women’s rights, air pollution, and [Rouhani’s] Citizenship Rights Charter. I was also accused of honoring families of political prisoners at meetings, or attending a gathering with Gonabadi Dervishes in front of the Prosecutor’s Office, or giving interviews to media outside Iran. I told them there that when you fit all my civil activities into these two charges, it means that I must remain silent and still.’
Mohammadi suffers from a neurological disorder that can result in seizures, temporary partial paralysis, and pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in her lung. Serious concerns for Mohammadi’s health persist following reports that she suffered several seizures in August and October 2015. According to reports, Mohammadi was taken to hospital on each occasion and on at least one instance she was returned to prison against medical advice. In a subsequent incident she was handcuffed to the bed for the first few days of her hospital stay. According to reports, Mohammadi now faces an additional charge of ‘insulting officers while being transferred to a hospital’ after she filed a complaint with regards to the treatment she experienced at the hands of prison guards when she was transferred to hospital for examinations.
Mohammadi is the mother of nine-year-old twins (born in November 2006), and isthe wife of prominent journalist and activist Taghi Rahmani, who has spent a total of 17 years in prison. Taghi Rahmani left the country in May 2011 following escalating pressure from the authorities. Their children joined him in July 2015. She is an honorary member of Danish PEN and Belgian PEN. In May 2016, she wrote a moving letter to the PEN community, calling on the PEN membership to take a stand against the use of solitary confinement as a means of torture.
In September 2008, Narges Mohammadi was elected as President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights. She has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and is the recipient of both the Alexander Langer Award (2009) and the Per Anger Prize (2011) for her human rights work. She was one of awardees of the 2013 PEN/Oxfam Novib Free Expression Award.
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3 May 2017 – Mexico is one of the worst countries in the world in which to be a journalist, with at least 83 writers and print journalists killed since 2004, while another 11 have disappeared. According to the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes Against Free Expression (FEADLE) between 2010 and 2016, 99.75% of all killings took place with impunity. The rate at which such crimes are being perpetrated seems only to be increasing; nine print and internet journalists were killed between January and December 2016, nearly twice the number of the previous year. Meanwhile, the assassination of three print journalists in Mexico in March 2017 alone secures the country on a course to retain its title as one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist. Their murders and the stark impunity with which these crimes are met are a devastating blow to freedom of expression in the country, where journalists face daily threats and harassment.
On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International renews its calls on the Mexican authorities to protect its writers and journalists, and to carry out swift and thorough investigations into the killings of journalists Cecilio Pineda Brito, Ricardo Monlui Cabrera and Miroslava Breach Velducea, ensuring that any possible links to their work are properly investigated and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Take Action: Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Send appeals to calling on the state and federal authorities in Mexico to:
Calling on the Mexican authorities to conduct full, prompt and impartial investigations into the murders of Cecilio Pineda Brito, Ricardo Monlui Cabrera and Miroslava Breach Velducea, with the involvement of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice;
End the harassment of Mexican journalists for their work, and provide them and all Mexican citizens with the protection they need in order to safeguard their right to freedom of expression.
Send appeals to:
PresidentLic. Enrique Peña Nieto, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Residencia Oficial de los Pinos Casa Miguel Alemán, Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, C.P. 11850, DISTRITO FEDERAL, México, Fax: (+ 52 55) 5093 4901/ 5277 2376, Email: enrique.penanieto@presidencia.gob.mx
Messages can also be sent via the Presidency’s website: http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/contacto/
Salutation: Señor Presidente/ Dear Mr President
Minister of the Interior: Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong Secretaría de Gobernación Bucareli 99, Col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06600 Ciudad de México, México Twitter: @osoriochong, Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Minister / Sr. Secretario
Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression (Fiscalía Especial de Atención a Delitos en contra de la Libertad de Expresión – FEADLE), Lic. Ricardo Celso Nájera Herrera, Fiscal EspecialEmail: ricardo.najera@pgr.gob.mx
Send copies to the Embassy of Mexico in your own country. Embassy addresses may be found here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/mexico
Please keep us informed of any action you take, including any responses you receive from the authorities.
Background
On 2 March 2017, Cecilio Pineda Brito was shot dead in Ciudad Altamirano, Guerrero State. Pineda Brito, aged 38, was a contributor to El Universal daily newspaper, among others. Pineda reportedly founded and edited a local weekly newspaper La Voz de la Tierra Caliente until it went out of circulation in 2016. According to Reporters Without Borders, he was known for criticising local corruption, and had been threatened over the years. In September 2015, Pineda Brito was the victim of a failed assassination attempt that led him to seek protection under the federal protection mechanism. The measures were reportedly withdrawn in October 2016 following a determination that the risk to Pineda Brito’s was low. The Federal Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression has reportedly taken up the case.
Two weeks later, Ricardo Monlui Cabrera was shot dead as he was leaving a restaurant with his wife and son in the municipality of Yanga, Veracruz state, on 19 March 2017. Monlui Cabrera, aged 57, a resident of the city of Córdoba and journalist for over 30 years, was the director of El Político newspaper and the author of ‘Crisol’, a column in both Diario de Xalapaca and El Sol de Córdoba newspapers. Monlui Cabrera was also president of Córdoba’s local journalists’ association. His work, both within and outside of journalism – as spokesperson for the National Union of Sugar Cane Producers – reportedly focused on the sugar canes business, which is believed to be linked to violence in the state of Cordoba.
A mere four days later, Miroslava Breach Velducea was repeatedly shot in the head outside her house in Chihuahua on 23 March 2017. Breach Velducea, aged 54, was a well-known journalist whose twenty-year career focused on reporting on political and social issues, often covering corruption. She worked as a correspondent for the national paper La Jornada, and contributed to several other news outlets. Shortly before her murder, Breach had headed a corruption investigation. A federal investigation has reportedly been launched.
Monlui Cabrera was murdered in Veracruz, notoriously one of the most dangerous places in the Mexico to work as a journalist. At least 15 writers and print journalists have been killed in Veracruz since 2004, 12 of them since 2010. The start of Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares’s government in December 2016 has not so far brought about a change in the level of violence or the perception of safety for journalists in the state.
On 27 March 2017, editor in chief of La Opinión de Poza Rica, Armando Arrieta Granados, was reportedly shot multiple times in the chest outside his home in Poza Rica, Veracruz. He remains in a serious condition in hospital. The State Commission for the Care and Protection of Journalists (Comisión Estatal para la Atención y Protección de los Periodistas - CEAPP) in Veracruz is reported to have activated its emergency protocols and is providing the journalist and his family with protection. Meanwhile the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression (Fiscalía Especial para la Atención de Delitos cometidos en contra de la Libertad de Expresión – FEADLE) has launched an investigation into the attack.
In Baja California, Julio Omar Gómez reportedly narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in Cabo San Lucas on 28 March 2017; Gómez’ bodyguard was reportedly killed in the shooting, which took place outside his home. Gómez had recently retired from journalism following several attacks on his home and car.
Most recently, on 17 March 2017, Article 19 reported that Tamara De Anda, blogger for El Universal, reporter for Canal Once, among other media houses, began receiving threats and harassment online after she made public her complaint against a taxi driver who she alleges sexually harassed her.
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3 May 2017 - The free expression environment in Russia has worsened considerably in recent years, with the authorities taking ever more extreme measures to consolidate their control over the flow of information online and offline. The increasing legislative chokehold on free expression is accompanied by mounting pressure on journalists and other writers to stay in line with official opinion, and by the blocking of websites carrying opposition views. Violence against journalists often goes unpunished while impunity for killings prevails.
In April 2017, staff of the leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta were threatened after they exposed horrific abuses of men believed to be gay in Chechnya. Elena Milashina, the prominent investigative journalist who first broke the story, said that she would temporarily leave Russia after she received alarming death threats. In the last ten Russia’s Investigative Committee recently announced that it would open an inquiry into the threats.
In the last two decades six journalists from Novaya Gazeta have been killed in direct retaliation for their work including the investigative journalist and PEN member Anna Polikovskaya and Natalya Estermirova who both worked to expose human rights abuses in Chechnya. Both Politkovskaya's and Estermirova's murders remain unsolved.
On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International calls on the Russian authorities to urgently and effectively investigate the threats against Novaya Gazeta staff members and take all necessary measures to ensure their safety. It further calls on the authorities to publically condemn all threats and attacks against journalists.
Take Action: Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Send appeals to the Russian authorities:
Urging them to take all necessary measures to ensure that Novaya Gazeta staff members are protected from harm;
Calling on them to order prompt, independent and effective investigations into the treats made against Novaya Gazeta staff members, in line with Article 144 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and to bring those responsible to justice;
Calling on them to publically condemn all threats and attacks against journalists.
Send appeals to:
President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Kremlin – Moscow, Russian Federation
Emails can be sent via the following link: http://en.letters.kremlin.ru/letters/send
Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, Investigation Committee of the Russian Federation, Tekhnicheskii pereulok, dom 2, 105005 Moscow, Russian Federation, Fax: +7 495 966 97 76
General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, General Yuriy Yakovlevich Chaika, Prosecutor, General’s Office, B. Dmitrovka, d.15a, 125993 Moscow GSP- 3, Russian Federation,
Fax: +7 495 987 58 41/ +7 495 692 17 25
Send copies to the Embassy of Russia in your own country. Embassy addresses may be found here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/russia
Please keep us informed of any action you take, including any responses you receive from the authorities.
Background
On 1 April 2017, Novaya Gazeta reported that over 100 men perceived to be gay had been abducted, held in secret detention, tortured and otherwise ill-treated by local militia and security forces in Chechnya. These reportedly included TV journalists. At least three men had been killed, according to the article. Local and international human rights organisations also said they had received similar reports from credible sources.
Instead of investigating these allegations, the Chechen authorities categorically dismissed Novaya Gazeta’s investigation and even appeared to condone acts of violence. On 3 April, some 15,000 people gathered in Chechnya’s capital Grozny to protest against the article. Adam Shakhidov, advisor of Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, addressed the crowd and called Novaya Gazeta and its staff “the enemies of our faith and homeland”. A resolution adopted at the meeting “promise[d] that those behind it [would] face reprisals, whoever they are and wherever they are.” A recording of his speech was widely circulated on Chechen television and social media. On 22 April, Adam Shakhidov announced that the authorities would sue Novaya Gazeta for slander.
On 14 April, Novaya Gazeta published a statement saying that it feared for the safety of its staff. Its website went down shortly afterwards as a result of a suspected cyber-attack. On 19 April, Novaya Gazeta said it had received an envelope containing an unidentified white powder.
Human rights defender and investigative journalist Elena Milashina announced that she would leave Russia. She already received numerous threats in connection with her work exposing human rights violations in the North Caucasus and was notably assaulted by unknown assailants in 2012. She was awarded the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in 2013.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 56 journalists have been killed in Russia since 1992. Of those, 36 were murdered in direct retaliation for their work. Nikolai Andrushchenko, co-founder of the weekly newspaper Novy Peterburg, died on 19 April 2017 of injuries sustained in a beating the previous month. He was known for his reporting on corruption and human rights abuses.
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3 May 2017 - The space for freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking in Turkey. Following a contested constitutional referendum, which took place under a state of emergency allowing heavy restrictions on freedom of expression, the narrow win for President Erdogan’s “Yes” campaign grants wide-reaching, centralised new powers to the president including the right to rule by decree, appoint ministers and top judges at his discretion, and to abolish parliament.
The Turkish authorities’ campaign was marred by threats, arrests and prosecutions and these concerns were echoed by international observers at OSCE who presented in their post-referendum report, underlining an “unlevel playing field” in the lead up to the elections.
According to PEN International’s records, 173 media outlets have been shut down, whilst more than 150 journalists and media workers remain behind bars since the crackdown on free expression widened in July. In 31 October 2016, Turkish police arrested 14 board members of Cumhuriyet, Turkey’s oldest and one of the few remaining opposition papers. On 4 November 2016, four staff members were released, while the remaining nine were formally charged. Less than a week later the paper’s chief executive, Akın Atalay, was arrested and further action in the investigation against the paper landed journalist Ahmet Şık and accountant Emre İper behind bars.
On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International calls on the Turkish authorities to urgently and unconditionally release Cumhuriyet staff being held solely in connection with their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression
Take Action: Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Send appeals to the Turkish authorities:
Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all tenCumhuriyet staff as they are being held solely in connection with their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression;
Calling for all detained writers and journalists to have access to lawyers and to be released if they are not to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence and tried promptly in accordance with international fair trial standards;
While recognising that the Turkish authorities have the right and responsibility to investigate those suspected of crimes in relation to the failed coup, calling on them not to use the state of emergency to crack down on peaceful dissent, civil society, media and education;
Send appeals to:
Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdağ, Ministry of Justice, Milli Müdafa Caddesi, 06659 Kızılay-Ankara, Republic of Turkey, Tel: (+90 312) 417 77 70, Fax: (+90 312) 419 3370, E-mail:info@adalet.gov.tr
Ministry of Interior Affairs: Süleyman Soylu, Minister of Interior Affairs, T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı, Bakanlıklar / Ankara, Republic of Turkey, Tel: (+90 312) 422 40 00, E-mail: hukuk@icisleri.gov.tr
Prime Minister: Binali Yıldırım, Çankaya Mah. Ziaur Rahman Cad. Çankaya / Ankara, Tel: (+90 312) 403 50 00, Fax: (+90 312) 422 10 00
Copies to:
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi, 06560 Beştepe-Ankara, Tel : (+90 312) 525 55 55, Fax : (+90 312) 525 58 31, E-mail: contact@tccb.gov.tr, Email: receptayyip.erdogan@basbakanlik.gov.tr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecepTayyipErdogan
Twitter: @RT_Erdogan
Please copy your appeals to the Embassy of Turkey in your country. A list of embassies can be found here.
Send a message of support:
Please consider sending letters or postcards in a show of support and solidarity to Cumhuriyet daily addressed to all or any of the detained journalists , who are being kept in Silivri F Type Prison and are not being allowed letters or postcards:
Prof. Nurettin Mazhar Öktel Sok. No: 2, 34381 Şişli / İstanbul, Tel: (+90 212) 343 72 74, Fax: (+90 212) 343 72 64, E-mail: editor@cumhuriyet.com.tr
Background
Turkish police arrested 14 employees of Cumhuriyet newspaper, one of Turkey’s oldest papers, on 31 October 2016 and one of the few remaining opposition papers. On November 4, four were released for health reasons. The remaining nine were formally charged, before the paper’s chief executive, Akın Atalay, was arrested upon his return to Istanbul on November 12, and the paper’s reporter Ahmet Şık, accountant, Emre İper was detained and charged on 31 December and 6 April respectively bringing the total number of Cumhuriyet staff behind bars to twelve. They are: Murat Sabuncu (Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief); Güray Öz (Cumhuriyet board executive, ombudsman and columnist); Hakan Kara, Musa Kart, Bülent Utku, Mustafa Kemal Güngör and Önder Çelik (all board members of the Cumhuriyet Foundation); Turhan Günay (Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper’s book supplement); Akın Atalay (Executive President of the Cumhuriyet Foundation) Ahmet Şık (investigative reporter) Emre İper (accountant) and columnist Kadri Gürsel, who is also a board member of the International Press Institute. According to media reports, prosecutors also issued detention warrants for the newspaper’s previous editor-in-chief Can Dündar, who is currently out of the country following an armed assault outside an Istanbul courthouse. The detained Cumhuriyet staff are currently being held in Silivri F Type Prison in İstanbul, where they are not allowed to receive books or send letters.
During their interrogation, the staff of Cumhuriyet Daily denied the charges and reported that they were shown the paper’s earlier headlines as evidence of the charges and that they were also questioned on statements and tweet they had never made or sent out. Hikmet Çetinkaya, one of those released on account of his poor health, noted that he was questioned about the following statement: ‘I have followed the Fetullahist organization for 40 years and it is certainly not a terrorist organization’ which he denies ever having said. According to the indictment, which was released on April 4, Cumhuriyet “tried to legitimize the acts of the PKK terrorist organization” also noting that some of the suspects “had contact with users” of the ByLock smartphone application, which came to prominence after it emerged that FETÖ members used it to communicate. Aydın Engin, a board member who was released for health reasons described the charges as ludicrous since they contact many people as journalists and have absolutely no way of making sure which of those contacts have a certain app on their phone. The indictment has been sent to the Istanbul 27th Heavy Penal Court.
The UN Special Rapperteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye recently met with the Cumhuriyet detainees in prison during his 14-18 November 2016 visit to Turkey and reported that ‘they have limited access to a lawyer, books, pen and paper, or other ways to access information or communicate with the outside world.’
Further details of the ten detained editorial staff follow:
Murat Sabuncu: Born in İstanbul in 1971, Sabuncu received a master’s degree in media studies from Istanbul Commerce University. A journalist for 25 years, Sabuncu started his career at Milliyet Daily, where he served as Economy Manager and columnist. He later transferred to Tempo magazine before moving on to become the editor in chief of esteemed publication, Fortune Turkey. Sabuncu started working at Cumhuriyet Daily as editorial coordinator on August 21 2014 and later appointed editor in chief of the opposition daily on September 1 2016. He is one of the founding members of P24, the Independent Journalists Platform.
Kadri Gürsel: Born in İstanbul in 1961, Kadri Gürsel started working as a journalist in 1986. Throughout his career he has worked in various positions in Cumhuriyet, Güneş and Sabah newspapers, as well as being a reporter for Agence France-Presse and serving as editor in chief of Nokta magazine. In 31 March 1995, whilst he was covering operations by the Turkish Military in Northern Iraq, he was abducted by PKK militants along with Reuters photo journalist Fatih Sarıbaş in Nusaybin and released in Şırnak 26 days later. He has since worked as managing editor of Artı Haber magazine and as foreign bureau chief at Milliyet Daily. He was removed from his duties at Milliyet following his critical tweets about the Suruç bombing, the first officially claimed ISIS bomb attack on Turkey. He has been working as a columnist for Cumhuriyet Daily since May 10 2016 and is a board member as well as the Turkish National Committee president at the International Press Institute (IPI).
Musa Kart: Born in Konya in 1954, Kart graduated from Ankara University Engineering and Architecture department. His first cartoon was published in 1974 and he started his career as a cartoonist at Cumhuriyet Daily in 1986. Moving on to drawing cartoons at Milliyet economy service, Kart later worked as a cartoonist at Güneş and Günaydın daily papers and Nokta magazine before returning to Cumhuriyet in 1993. He is the 2006 recipient of the Press Freedom Award presented by the Turkish Journalists Association.
Güray Öz: Born in Uşak in 1948, Öz acquired his bachelor’s degree from İstanbul University Law School and started working as a journalist in 1971. He was the editor of Cumhuriyet Hafta, a supplement of the paper published in Germany. His poems and essays have been published regularly in Ant ve Soyut magazine. Among his published books are Almanya’da Ayrımcılık, Federal Almanya’da Türklerin Kültür Sorunları, and a poetry collection Kurumuş Gül Ağacı-Şiirler.
Turhan Günay: Turhan Günay graduated from İstanbul Technical University Civil Engineering Faculty, where he also started working as a journalist for the school paper. He was a reporter for Günaydın group from 1968 to 1983 before acting as managing editor at Gırgır and Fırt, both political satire magazines. He left the Günaydın group in 1983 and transferred to İletişim group where he served in the editorial team of Yeni Gündem magazine. Since 1985, Günay has served as editor in chief of Cumhuriyet’s Sunday supplement Pazar Dergi, and later it’s book supplement Kitap Dergi. He serves as an executive board member in Cumhuriyet books since 2013.
Hakan Kara: Hakan Kara received his bachelor’s degree from Ege University Press Faculty and started his career as a journalist at Cumhuriyet’s İzmir Bureau in 1984. His wide coverage of environmental issues such as tortoises in Dalyan or the cyanide gold in Bergama earned him national recognition. He served as editor of the environmental page of Cumhuriyet in 1993 and later worked in various positions in the paper, including as news editor for many years. He has been a columnist and a board member for the Cumhuriyet Foundation since 2013.
Önder Çelik: Born in İzmir, Çelik received his bachelor’s degree from Marmara University Education Faculty. He started his journalistic career at Politika newspaper until it was shuttered. He later moved on to Cumhuriyet Daily in 1984 and has been working at the newspaper as part of management ever since, serving as manager of publishing and distribution, operations manager and press houses, production and technology development manager. Çelik is a board member in the Cumhuriyet Foundation since 2014.
Bülent Utku: Born in Gölcük, Utku graduated from Istanbul University Law School and started his career as an attorney in the authoritarian period that followed the 12 September 1980 coup. He has been working as an attorney registered to the İstanbul Bar Association for 35 years and as a lawyer to Cumhuriyet since 1993, a period in which he has played an active part in high profile cases such as ‘Mısır Çarşısı’ and ‘Oda TV’. He serves as a board member in the Cumhuriyet Foundation and in the Yenigün News Agency.
Mustafa Kemal Güngör: Born in 1959 in Istanbul, Güngör graduated from Istanbul University Law School and started his career as an attorney in the authoritarian period that followed the 12 September 1980 coup. He has been working as an attorney registered to the İstanbul Bar Association for 35 years and as a lawyer to Cumhuriyet since 1993, a period in which he has played an active part in high profile cases such as ‘Mısır Çarşısı’ and ‘Oda TV’. He serves as a board member in the Cumhuriyet Foundation and in the Yenigün News Agency.
Ahmet Şık: Award-winning investigative journalist Ahmet Şık has worked tirelessly to uncover political corruption in Turkey since 1991, writing for Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, Radikal, Nokta, BirGun and Reuters. He has also written three books: the first two, published in 2010, are about Ergenekon, an illegal organisation alleged to be behind many acts of political violence in Turkey, and its relationship to Turkish military. The third, The Imam’s Army, deals with the influence of the Gülen Movement, in Turkey’s police and judiciary. Ahmet Şık was previously arrested in March 2011 along with a group of journalists alleged to be the media arm of Ergenekon. He was accused of ‘knowingly and willingly aiding and abetting an illegal organisation’ under Article 220/7 of the Turkish Penal Code, of ‘membership of an armed organisation’ under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, he was held on pre-trial detention for 13 months.During the latest hearing in December 2016, the prosecutor demanded that the charges should be dropped on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. Ahmet Şık was awarded the 2014 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. In late 2015, he was the first writer to be selected for a residency at the Free Word Centre in London, UK on a new programme for writers and journalists administered by English PEN, Free Word and ARTICLE 19, in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists.
After the failed coup of 15 July 2016, a state of emergency was declared. Since the imposition of the state of emergency, Turkey’s Council of Ministers has issued numerous decrees granting the Turkish authorities wide-ranging powers. A number of these affect the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, and have been used to facilitate the arrest and harassment of media personnel. There are credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of those in police custody following the suspension of the European Convention on Human Rights. There has also been a massive crackdown on Turkey’s Kurdish population, with arrests of Kurdish journalists and closures of pro-Kurdish media outlets, the forced replacement of elected local officials and arrests of MPs from the pro-Kurdish HDP party. On 11 November, the activities of some 370 NOGs were arbitrarily suspended, over half of them Kurdish organisations.
While recognising the right of the Turkish authorities to bring those responsible for crimes committed during the attempted coup of 15 July 2016 to justice, PEN International calls on the Turkish authorities to safeguard freedom of expression, human rights and respect their obligations under international law during the declared state of emergency and to release all journalists and writers held solely in connection with their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression, as appears to be the case with Cumhuriyet employees.
