Photo: 
AFP
Stop the press: Turkey’s crackdown

The trial of Erol Onderoglu, a representative of Reporters Without Borders, an NGO, resumes in Istanbul today. Also in the dock are Sebnem Korur Fincanci, a human-rights activist, and Ahmet Nesin, a writer. The three face terror charges for showing solidarity with Ozgur Gundem, a Kurdish newspaper. They are not alone. In the wake of the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last summer, the number of Turkish journalists behind bars has swelled to over 150, more than anywhere else in the world. Many of those on trial or in prison are Kurds suspected of links to outlawed militant groups. Reporters Without Borders says 38 of the 56 people who participated in the Ozgur Gundem campaign have been formally charged. Thirteen have been convicted. A prizewinning author and a septuagenarian linguist who took part were held in pretrial detention for four months before being released late last year. Their trial continues.

Mar 21st 2017
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