News / Turkey

Turkish journalists, opposition MPs protest massive post-coup crackdown

Saturday, 11 March 2017 7:30 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 11 March 2017 7:44 PM ]

A Turkish protester holds a copy of the latest edition of opposition newspaper "Cumhuriyet" during a demonstration outside the daily’s headquarters in Istanbul on November 2, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

A group of Turkish journalists and opposition lawmakers have launched a protest in Istanbul against Ankara’s massive crackdown on reporters and media following the last July coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A crowd of some 50 people chanted "Journalism is not a crime" and "We will not remain silent," during the Saturday rally.

"Many jailed journalists are not allowed to receive letters under the state of emergency conditions," opposition lawmaker Baris Yarkadas said.

After the failed coup, Turkey introduced a state of emergency and launched a sweeping crackdown on those believed to have played a role in the attempted putsch.

The massive crackdown has resulted in the imprisonment of 40,000 people and the firing of some 110,000 others.

Over 100 journalists are currently in detention in Turkey, Reporters Without Borders says, while according to Turkish Journalists' Associations, about 170 media outlets have been shut down and 800 press cards revoked.

Turkey has also jailed or expelled foreign correspondents for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Die Welt, and the French website Les Jours.

In February, Turkey arrested Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel, whom Erdogan has described as both a German spy and a representative of the outlawed militant group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The arrest triggered a row between Ankara and Berlin.