MESOP STATEMENTS ON ERDOGAN & TURKEY / HELSINKI COMMISSION

14 March 2016 – Helsinki Commission on the Media Crackdown in Turkey: Commission Co-Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) expressed deep concern in a statement issued over President Erdogan’s seizure of Zaman, Turkey’s largest independent newspaper: “The government takeover of Zaman represents the complete closing of Turkey’s previously vibrant and diverse media environment.

Today, Turkey is not only less informed but it is also less free.” Wicker strongly condemned the 1,845 criminal cases brought against Turkish citizens for insulting President Erdogan, urging “Turkey to repeal these outdated insult and criminal defamation laws altogether.” “When a fundamental freedom like freedom of speech and the media is at risk, democracy itself is at risk,” Wicker concluded. Read all www.mesop.de