A new research revealed on Tuesday that the number of Journalists imprisoned in Turkey has risen dramatically over the past 12 months.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) at least 100 Journalists and media contributors are currently being held in Turkish jails, a 22 per cent rise since this time last year.
The organisation said the increase was due to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian response to a failed military coup in Turkey in July.
This failed military coup has resulted in raids on media outlets with the aim of silencing government critics.
RSF has been able to directly link the arrests to the victims’ journalistic activities in 41 of the cases and said it was continuing to investigate the others.
Erdogan has the power to rule by decree under a current state of emergency, put in place after the failed coup attempt.
Hundreds of Journalists have been taken to court on charges of “insulting the president’’ or “terrorism,’’ with some being jailed without any charges brought against them,’’ RSF said.
“At the gateway to Europe, an all-out witch-hunt has jailed dozens of journalists and has turned Turkey into the world’s biggest prison for the media profession.
“In the space of a year, the Erdogan regime has crushed all media pluralism, while the EU has said virtually nothing.’’ said Christophe Deloire, secretary general of RSF.
According to the RSF report other countries with high numbers of Journalists in jail include China, Iran and Egypt.
A total of 348 Journalists are currently being detained worldwide, it says a rise of 6 per cent since last year. (dpa/NAN)