Berlin protests Turkish treatment of German journalists
Maria Adebahr, spokeswoman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry, didn’t hold back when voicing her criticism on Monday, calling it “incomprehensible” that three German journalists had been stripped of their accreditation in Turkey.
“We have very clearly stated our position to Turkey: We regard freedom of press as a precious asset,” she said. “German — and European — journalists must be able to work freely in Turkey. And we hope that the press accreditations will be issued shortly.”
Read more: Opinion: Turkey’s media now have a single owner
How — and if — that can become a reality are questions that no one in Berlin is able to answer. The official stance of the Turkish authorities doesn’t leave much room for speculation.
In a short email to DW, the intelligence office in Ankara stated: “Dear members of the press. The renewal of your press accreditation for the year 2019 has not been granted.”
To date, three German journalists have been affected: Thomas Seibert, who chiefly reports from Turkey for Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, Jörg Brase, public broadcaster ZDF’s studio head in Istanbul, and NDR journalist Halil Gülbeyaz.
Read more: German journalists urge Turkey to stop hindering foreign press
The refusal to issue the annual press accreditation has wide-reaching consequences. Press cards issued by Turkey expire each December and journalists need to reapply for accreditation. Not only is the accreditation, in essence, a work permit but it also usually acts as a residency permit for journalists working in Turkey.
Diplomatic crisis
This isn’t the first time German journalists in Turkey have run into problems. In 2016, the press office refused accreditation to Hasnain Kazim, the then-correspondent for weekly magazine Der Spiegel. In March 2016, Kazim left Turkey. That same year, Volker Schwenck, a television journalist from another public broadcaster ARD, and a photojournalist from tabloid Bild, Giorgos Moutafis, were refused entry. Both were just passing through the country.
In 2017, the treatment of German journalists by Turkish authorities devolved into a diplomatic crisis when Deniz Yücel, a reporter from newspaper Die Welt, spent a year in an Istanbul jail without trial before eventually being allowed to return to Germany in February 2018.
In a similar case, reporter Mesale Tolu was arrested in spring 2017 and denied the right to travel until August 2018. The terrorist charges made against both journalists are still under investigation in Turkey. Cologne reporter Adil Demirci is also accused of terror links, and Turkish investigative journalist Pelin Unker, who also works for DW, was sentenced to over 13 months in jail over a Panama Papers report in January.
Deteriorating press freedom
These instances prompted the German Foreign Ministry to release a damning report on the state of press freedom in Turkey in 2018. Over nearly 40 pages, the report detailed how journalists were arrested for critical reporting and “threatened with abuse while in police custody.”
German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel was released from prison in February 2018
Following the failed coup attempt in July 2016, about 200 media outlets in Turkey were shut down under the state of emergency decree that lasted until July 2018. Frequently, the shutdowns were justified by the media outlets having alleged ties to US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Gulen, once closely associated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been labeled by the Turkish government as the “mastermind” behind the coup attempt, charges he has denied. Since then, Gulen’s followers have faced severe persecution.
Around 3,000 journalists have lost their jobs as a result of the media crackdown. “Branded as Gulenists, or sympathizers of the [outlawed] Kurdistan Workers’ Party, there have no prospect of finding work,” said the German Foreign Ministry. Many other journalists are also facing imprisonment on the basis of fabricated accusations.
About 90 percent of what remains of the Turkish media landscape can be linked to Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), either personally or financially. And the remaining 10 percent are being starved of financial support, for example with the threat of lost advertising revenue. Media that until now have taken a critical view of the government are increasingly resorting to self-censorship.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
July 2007: Abdullah Gul becomes Turkey’s first Islamist president
After years of free market reforms, Turkey’s transition slowly begins to reverse. Islamist Abdullah Gul’s candidacy as president in 2007 marks a clear shift away from secularist policies, and strains relations between the ruling AKP and the military. However, with broad support from both conservative Muslims and liberals, the AKP wins the parliamentary elections and Gul is elected president.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
September 2010: Constitutional reforms take hold
Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tables a constitutional reform increasing parliamentary control of the judiciary and army, effectively allowing the government to pick judges and senior military officials. The amendment, which is combined with measures also aimed at protecting child rights and the strengthening of the right to appeal, passed by a wide margin in a public referendum.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
May 2013: Dissent erupts in Gezi Park
Pent-up anger directed by young people at Erdogan, Gul and the Islamist-rooted AKP hits a boiling point in May 2013. The violent police breakup of a small sit-in aimed at protecting Istanbul’s Gezi Park spurs one of the fiercest anti-government protests in years. Eleven people are killed and more than 8,000 injured, before the demonstrations eventually peter out a month later.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
July 2015: Turkey relaunches crackdown against Kurds
A fragile ceasefire deal between the Turkish government and the Kurdish rebel PKK group breaks under the weight of tensions aggravated by the war in Syria. Military forces resume operations in the mostly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. In early 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) — a breakaway PKK faction — claim responsibility for two bombings in Ankara, each killing 38 people.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
July 2016: Military coup attempt falls short
A military coup attempt against the government shakes Turkey to its core and briefly turns the country into a war zone. Some 260 civilians die in overnight clashes with the army across five major cities. Erdogan, however, rallies supporters and the following morning rebel soldiers are ambushed by thousands of civilians on the Bosporus Bridge. The troops eventually drop their guns and surrender.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
July 2016: President Erdogan enacts a state of emergency
In the aftermath of the failed coup, Erdogan announces a state of emergency, leading to arrests of tens of thousands of suspected coup sympathizers and political opponents. Among those detained are military and judiciary officials and elected representatives from the pro-Kurdish HDP party. The purge is later expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
2016: Crackdown on the press
As part of Erdogan’s crackdown against supposed “terrorist sympathizers,” Turkey becomes one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The government shuts down around 110 media outlets in the year following the coup and imprisons more than 100 journalists, including German-Turkish correspondent Deniz Yücel.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
March 2017: AKP officials try to stoke support in Western Europe
With a referendum on expanding Erdogan’s presidential powers set for April 2016, AKP officials look to galvanize support among Turks living in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands forbids Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing in the country, while Germany opts to cancel two rallies. Erdogan accuses both countries of Nazi-style repression.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
April 2017: Erdogan clinches referendum vote
Erdogan narrowly wins the referendum vote expanding his power. As a result, Turkey’s parliamentary system is abolished in favor of a strong executive presidency. Erdogan is also allowed to remain in power potentially until 2029. However, international election monitors claim that opposition voices were muzzled and that media coverage was dominated by figures from the “yes” campaign.
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Charting Turkey’s slide towards authoritarianism
June 2018: Election wins secure Erdogan’s power
Erdogan secures a new five-year term and sweeping new executive powers after winning landmark elections on June 24. His AKP and their nationalist allies also win a majority in parliament. International observers criticize the vote, saying media coverage and emergency measures gave Erdogan and the AKP an “undue advantage” in the vote.
Criticism from Erdogan’s party
In 2018, Turkey ranked 157th out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) world press freedom index, down two rankings from 2017. The latest developments come as no surprise to Christian Mihr, RSF’s managing director in Berlin since 2012.
“The fact that journalists from international media are apparently being denied accreditation is a brazen attempt to restrict independent reporting abroad,” he said. “Coming just one month before the local elections, which are crucial in Turkey, this can’t just be a bureaucratic blunder.”
Read more: Germany warns citizens to be careful on social media when in Turkey
There has even been criticism of the move from within Erdogan’s ruling AKP. Mustafa Yeneroglu, an AKP lawmaker in the Turkish parliament, said he could not understand the refusal of accreditation.
“I neither comprehend — nor approve — of the decision,” he said, bringing up the potential damage to Turkey’s international reputation and economic interests. “Such decisions undermine the image of our cosmopolitan country.”
German journalists aren’t the only ones who have been affected. Some 80 foreign journalists are still waiting on renewed accreditation for 2019.
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-protests-turkish-treatment-of-german-journalists/a-47769995?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf