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
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.
Söylemez, a former columnist for the (now closed) magazine Aksiyon, was first detained on July 26, 2016, as part of a sweeping purge of journalists and others suspected of involvement in the attempted coup of July 15, 2016. The evidence cited in the indictment was a tweet by Söylemez from 2 June 2016 which according to the prosecutor demonstrates the journalists’ knowledge about the upcoming coup.
“I hope that the second instance court will take into account international principles on freedom of expression and reverse this sentence,” said Désir. “I call on the authorities in Turkey to end their practice of criminalizing speech. Journalism in particular must be safeguarded, not persecuted.”
Söylemez is also accused of being in contact with some users of ‘ByLock’ application which allows encrypted communication. The OSCE participating States, including Turkey, only in December last year adopted new commitments to "refrain from arbitrary or unlawful interference with journalists' use of encryption and anonymity technologies".
“Earlier this month, I travelled to Turkey for an official visit. During my meetings with officials, we discussed the plight of journalism and the troubling situation of a high number of journalists imprisoned for their work,” Désir said. “I offered my assistance, and continue to stand ready to support Turkey in reviewing its legislative framework to bring it in line with international standards and OSCE commitments pertaining to media freedom and freedom of expression.”
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.