Meeting at their Annual General Assembly on 13 September 2010 in Vienna, Austria, IPI members unanimously condemned the continued imprisonment in Turkey of dozens of journalists and called on the Turkish authorities to release all journalists jailed because of their work.
Reportedly more than 40 Turkish journalists are currently in prison, some awaiting trial, because of their reports or columns in Turkey, making Turkey one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists. Some journalists have been held without conviction for several years. Over 700 other journalists are currently facing law suits, with the threat of imprisonment, under specific articles in the Penal Code, press laws and anti-terror laws.
IPI further calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure that no journalist must face the threat of imprisonment because of their professional work. IPI calls on the Turkish authorities to abolish articles in the Turkish Penal Code, Press Law and Anti-Terror Law, which threaten imprisonment and disproportionate penalties for the media. IPI hopes that the government will honour its pledge that recent constitutional changes will facilitate the process.