Vienna, 12/03/2014
Since the beginning of this week six journalists have been released from jail in Turkey: Tuncay Özkan, Merdan Yanardağ, Yalçın Küçük, Hikmet Çiçek, Deniz Yıldırım and Turhan Özlü. The South East Europe Media Organisation has today welcomed the release of all six journalists.
Vienna, 12/03/2014
The International Press Institute (IPI) and its affiliate, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), today welcomed news that the last journalist imprisoned in Turkey in connection with the alleged Ergenekon coup plot case has been released and they reiterated calls for the release of 50 other journalists still behind bars in the country.
Local sources reported that journalist Turhan Ozlu emerged from the Silivri Prison today. His release caps off a dramatic week that also saw the release of a number of other individuals convicted in the Ergenekon case, including journalists Deniz Yildirim, Tuncay Ozkan, Merdan Yanardag and Hikmet Cicek, as well as academic Yalcin Kucuk.
“We are extremely pleased to hear of these journalists’ release and to learn that no more journalists are currently behind bars in connection with the Ergenekon case,” IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said. “However, Turkey still appears to be the top jailer of journalists in the world. We urge Turkish authorities to take this week’s progress a step further and release all journalists detained in connection with their work. We similarly call on authorities to drop criminal cases against journalists connected with their work, such as the charges presented in the OdaTV case.”
According to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Turkish Journalists Syndicate (TGS), 50 journalists remain imprisoned in Turkey, most for alleged links to the “Press Committee” of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), a group that the government labels the “urban wing” of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Others are behind bars for alleged connections to banned leftist or Marxist groups.
Many journalists in Turkey also continue to face potential prison time, notably those in the OdaTV case, which is named for a news website that has been fiercely critical of Turkish authorities’ pursuit of investigations into various alleged coup plots. Authorities accuse the 13 defendants in that case – who include Kucuk as well as investigative reporter Ahmet Sik and IPI World Press Freedom Hero Nedim Sener – of having acted as the media wing of the Ergenekon plot, allegedly advancing it by questioning the government’s investigations.
The next hearing in the OdaTV case is scheduled for April 1.
Vienna, 04/03/2014
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is worried about he news that the Today’s Zaman columnist Mumtaz’er Türköne has been sentenced to one year in prison. According to the court, sentences he wrote were highly critical of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Türköne was found guilty of “openly insulting the memory of Atatürk”.
Vienna, 6 October 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) today condemned the delivery of a parcel bomb to the daily newspaper La Stampa in Turin. The parcel bomb, received on 3 October 2013 was detected before it exploded. The bomb was addressed to journalist Massimo Numa.
Vienna, 23 September 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) expressed concern about the disappearance of journalist Sergej Naumov in Uzbekistan, a journalist who got several awards for his reporting.
According to infromation before SEEMO two days ago, on 21 September, Naumov called his colleagues to inform them that the police had detained him. Since then there are no information from Naumov.
Vienna, 18 September 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), today expressed concern about a reported attack on a vehicle owned by Genka Shikerova, co-host of the morning show “Tazi Sutrin” (This Morning) on bTV, a private national television channel in Bulgaria.
Shikerova’s car was set on fire on Monday evening in what is suspected to have been arson. Shikerova told viewers of her show on Tuesday morning that the vehicle was parked in front of her home in the Geo Milev district of Sofia when it was set ablaze and that the vehicle was destroyed.
SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “This is not the first time that the car of a journalist or a media company has been damaged in Bulgaria. Such incidents are used in the country as a means of threatening journalists. I urge the state authorities to investigate this case.”
He added: “I also call on authorities in Sofia to solve the cases of previous attacks on journalists. As we know, no one has been charged in relation to a number of cases of violence against journalists in Bulgaria in recent years. Further, I urge all EU institutions in Brussels to do more to protect the security of journalists in Bulgaria. Attacks and pressure on journalists in any EU country, including Bulgaria, are not acceptable.”
Vienna, 17 September 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation condemns a suspected arson attack on a vehicle owned by Bulgarian television journalist Genka Shikerova . Shikerova’s car, a Peugeot 308, was parked in front of her home when it burst into flames yesterday, on Monday 16 September, evening.
Shikerova is co-host of a popular morning show on bTV.
Vienna, 29 August 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is alramed about the continued detention of journalist Tomislav Kezarovski for another 30 days in Skopje. He is in jail since 28 May. Connected to this case SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic sent a letter to authorities in Skopje and to Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
Vienna, 12 August 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns a bomb attack on journalist Tufik Softic’s home in Berane on 11 August around 22.00 (10 pm). Tufik Softic is working for the daily Vijesti and weekly Monitor, two leading print media in Montenegro. The bomb exploded close to his car in front of his house. The journalist was with his family in the house, but no one was injured. SEEMO urges the authorities in Podgorica to do everything possible to ensure that it does not go unpunished.
Vienna, 25 July 2013
The South East Europe Media Organisation is alarmed about police violence against journalists who were covering the demonstration outside parliament in Sofia on 23 July.
Rossen Bossev, a journalist with the weekly Capital and journalist Valentin Grancharov forking for Darik radio were beaten by the police.
Kiril Haralanov of the OFFnews website was filming how police is attacking Grancharov and was beaten by another police officer.
Also Cvetan Fikov from Canal 3 was attaked.
Two bTV cameramen, Blagoi Momchilov and Dani Draganov, were attacked by policemen.
The camera of journalist Ivan Bedrov broke when it fell to the ground in a police intervention.
Journalist and blogger Ivo Bozhkov was filming the police violence and also attacked.