The problems journalists and freedom of the press are faced with in Turkey and the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus were discussed at an event organised by the Press and Information Office (PIO) in Nicosia on Tuesday afternoon.
The event, also broadcasted online, was attended by Turkish Cypriot journalists Rasih Resat and Ali Kismir, CNA’s Istanbul correspondent Anna Andreou and journalist and researcher Evangelos Areteos.
Addressing the event, PIO Director Aliki Stylianou, referred to the role of the free press in modern times, the roots of Turkish Cypriot and Turkish journalism and the new initiatives of the European Union to guarantee pluralism and freedom of expression.
For his part, Turkish Cypriot journalist Rasih Resat analyzed the modern image of Turkish journalism and the efforts made by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) governments since the 2000s to control the major media. Resat then spoke about the fine line that separates news reporting from commentary and opinion.
In the context of this analysis, the Turkish Cypriot journalist referred to the case of the self-exiled Turkish journalist Can Dündar. He also briefly put under the microscope current reality in Turkish Cypriot journalism, pointing out that the totalitarian practices applied in Turkey are gradually being introduced to the occupied territories.
The Turkish Cypriot journalist and president of the “Basin-Sen” syndicate, Ali Kismir, analysed the pressures and attacks that Turkish Cypriot journalists have been subjected to from the period of the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus to the present day. Providing examples from the historical evolution of modern Turkish Cypriot journalism, Kismir focused on the last “elections” held in the occupied territories which resulted in the new T/C leader, adding that “we experienced the most difficult moments”.
According to him, before the “elections”, opposition Turkish Cypriot journalists supporting the bicommunal, bi-zonal federation faced pressure to the extent that “kidnappings” and intimidation attempts took place on the streets of the Turkish occupied territories. Kismir also referred to his personal experience, recalling that he was recently refused admission to Turkey and found himself at the centre of a “trial” to do with an opinion piece he wrote.
CNA’s Turkey correspondent Anna Andreou, stressing what has happened in Turkey in the last decades, said that according to the report prepared by Reporters Without Borders, Turkey ranks 149th out of 180 countries for freedom of the press. In Turkey, 26 journalists are in prison because of their journalistic activities, she added.
Andreou then provided a detailed update on the legal framework currently governing Turkish journalism, with particular reference to the 40-point regulation on social media and the reactions to the new law within Turkey and in Europe. The CNA’s correspondent also referred to the night of the failed coup in Turkey (15/07/2016) as a landmark date for intensifying authoritarian measures against Turkish media.
The views on contemporary Turkish journalism were also presented at the PIO event by journalist and researcher Evangelos Aretaios, who focused on the pressures faced by Turkish journalists. Areteos referred to the case of foreign journalists in Turkey, adding that “foreign journalists along with representatives of foreign non-governmental organizations are easily characterized as agents and in practice it is difficult to be accepted by the wider population.”
Areteos continued by noting that journalists and columnists working in these Turkish opposition media are fully aware that specific issues are classified as taboo subjects. Concluding his intervention, Areteos summarised the challenges faced by the representatives of Cypriot media in Turkey and underlined the peculiarities of the modern journalistic landscape in this country.
Source: Cyprus News Agency