Press statements of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
Following seven convictions for Hrant Dink murder, OSCE Representative calls on Turkish authorities to identify all involved including masterminds
Publishing date: 19 July 2019
VIENNA, 19 July 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today the court decision in Turkey handing down prison sentences to seven people over the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative welcomes acquittal of Turkish journalists Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and human rights defender Şebnem Korur Fincancı
Publishing date: 17 July 2019
VIENNA, 17 July 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today’s court decision to acquit two journalists and a human rights defender in Turkey...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative calls on Turkey to end criminal prosecution of journalists, following latest conviction of a journalist to 6 years and 3 months in prison
Publishing date: 21 June 2019
VIENNA, 21 June 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern about the verdict of the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, which sentenced journalist Haşim Söylemez on charges of ‘aiding a terrorist organization without being a member’, to 6 years and 3 months in prison.
Concluding official visit to Turkey, OSCE Media Freedom Representative calls on authorities to urgently reverse the course of media freedom violations
Publishing date: 14 June 2019
ISTANBUL, 14 June 2019- Concluding his four-day official visit to Turkey, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on the Turkish authorities to urgently address and reverse current media freedom violations and pressure that journalists face.
Sentencing journalists to prison greatly damages media freedom in Turkey, says OSCE Media Freedom Representative following Özgür Gündem trial
Publishing date: 3 April 2019
VIENNA, 3 April 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his disappointment over the court verdicts handed down today to a number of journalists and writers in the Özgür Gündem trial in Turkey...
Cumhuriyet trial convictions a terrible setback for Turkey, says OSCE Media Freedom Representative, calls for end to criminalization of journalism
Publishing date: 19 February 2019
VIENNA, 19 February 2019 – Yesterday’s decision to uphold convictions and severe sentences handed down to dozens of Cumhuriyet journalists is a terrible setback and detrimental to Turkey’s commitments to free speech and independent media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...
OSCE Representative denounces prison sentences for owners and general director of Hayatın Sesi TV in Turkey
Publishing date: 20 September 2018
VIENNA, 20 September 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today denounced prison sentences handed out to the executives of the Hayatın Sesi TV channel in Turkey...
OSCE Representative condemns arrest of Austrian journalist Max Zirngast in Turkey, calls on authorities to immediately release him
Publishing date: 12 September 2018
WARSAW, 12 September 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today strongly condemned the arrest of Austrian journalist Max Zirngast and the continued prosecution of journalists in Turkey.
Legal charges initiated by Turkey against Turkish Cypriot journalists Şener Levent and Ali Osman should be dropped, urges OSCE Representative
Publishing date: 2 August 2018
VIENNA, 2 August 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir today in a letter to the Turkish authorities expressed his concern over recent judicial action launched by the country’s prosecution against two journalists of the Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika...
OSCE media freedom representative concerned over closure of three newspapers and one TV station in Turkey, calls on authorities to restore media pluralism
Publishing date: 9 July 2018
VIENNA, 9 July 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding the law decree issued in Turkey on 8 July, which closed down three newspapers and one TV station, in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.