2023-06-27 19:58:25
VIENNA. headquartered in Vienna Officials of the world’s largest global press association „International Press Institute IPI“ demanded the immediate release of Merdan Yanardag. The International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organization dedicated to promoting and protecting freedom of the press and improving journalistic practice. The institution was founded in October 1950 at Columbia University by 34 editors from 15 countries and now has members in more than 120 countries.
The statement of the International Press Institute, whose short name is IPI, is as follows:
Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, journalists and media executives working for freedom of the press, Condemns the arrest of TELE1 TV Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardag in Istanbul.
It is unsettling that during a news program, Yanardag criticized the detention conditions of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, the search for a solution by an AKP member of parliament, and that after his statements within the scope of freedom of thought, Yanardag was detained and his statements were montaged, provocations were made, and statements that he did not say in his statement were taken. We call on the relevant Turkish authorities to stop punishing journalists for publicly expressing their views within the scope of freedom of expression and to immediately release Merdan Yanardag.
Yanardag was detained by the Istanbul Security Directorate Anti-Terrorism Branch teams on 26 June, after the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the main news bulletin presented by Yanardag, which was broadcast on TELE 1 TV on 20 June. The prosecutor’s office demanded that Yanardag be arrested on charges of “praising the crime and the criminal” and “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”. Volcano was arrested on 27 June.
In the broadcast in question, Yanardag criticized at length a recent comment by a lawmaker from the ruling AKP regarding the “peace process” (an attempt to resolve the conflict between the Turkish government and Kurdish militants, which ended in 2015). In one episode, Yanardag speaks of the militant Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. [2016’dan beri] He commented that his detention “has no place in law” and “should be abolished”. An AKP deputy shared a clip of this episode of the broadcast on social media, taking it out of context with a montage.
Yanardag later said in a statement that the purpose of his comments had been distorted, and said: “This is not an act of praising Abdullah Öcalan… I explained how the law on the execution of sentences should be in a democratic country and why the isolation should be lifted. It’s not about praising or criticizing anyone. Also, my comments are intended to highlight the hypocrisy of the AKP regarding the „peace process“.“
After this, Turkey’s broadcasting regulator RTÜK launched an investigation against TELE1 TV due to Yanardag’s statements.
In 2023, TELE1 TV, owned by Yanardag, was fined four times by RTÜK due to Yanardag’s statements. In addition, two criminal investigations have been launched against Yanardag himself since the beginning of the year.
The IPI International Press Institute calls for the immediate release of Merdan Yanardag and the dropping of all charges against him. Freedom of expression protects the right of journalists and all citizens to express opinions on matters of public interest. This protection also covers opinions that the authorities may find shocking or disturbing. Turkey should stop penalizing journalists for expressing their views while carrying out their journalistic activities. (Yenivatan.at)
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