6 October 2021

We are joining other 11 press freedom and journalism groups to examine threats to independent journalism in Turkey

A coalition of international press freedom and journalist groups will carry out a three-day mission to Turkey this week to investigate serious, continued threats to independent journalism in the country. 

From October 6 to 8, mission delegates will meet in Ankara and Istanbul, as well as online, with editors, journalists, local civil society groups, Turkish MPs from various political parties, members of government regulatory bodies, foreign diplomats, European Union officals, representatives of leading global tech companies, and the Turkish Constitutional Court.

Led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and IPI’s Turkey National Committee, the mission includes representatives from ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), English PEN, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Norwegian PEN, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), PEN International, Reporters without Borders (RSF), and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).

The mission will hold a press conference at 16:00 Turkey time (15:00 CEST) on Friday, October 8 to share the results of the meetings and the partner organisations‘ analysis of the state of press freedom in Turkey. The press conference will also be held online . The conference will be held in Turkish and English with interpretation for online participants.