November 27, 2014

27/11/2014: TURKEY – SEEMO DEEPLY CONCERNED REGARDING MEDIA BAN IN TURKEY

Vienna, 27/11/2014

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned to learn about the recent country-wide media ban developments in Turkey. On Wednesday, the Turkish media regulator issued a ban on the coverage of a parliamentary commission probing corruption allegations against four ex-ministers: former Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, Interior Minister Muammer Guler, and former Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television in Turkey has forbidden any reports on the progress of the court case to be published until it is finished on December 27th, a move the opposition says is shielding corruption.

Penalties will be imposed on media outlets that disobey this order, and some opposition papers have already stated that they will not respect this restriction. The decision is justified by the statement that by allowing journalists to report on the case, confidentiality and individual rights will be violated.