The International Press Institute (IPI), in partnership with WELT, invites interested members of the public to a networking event and series of panel discussions on November 28, 2018 in Berlin with leading lawyers, journalists and human rights activists from Turkey and Europe.

Panellists will examine the media crackdown and the breakdown of the rule of law in Turkey, offering first-person perspectives. Importantly, they will also analyse the role that Turkey’s international partners, especially the European Union and Germany, can play in protecting fundamental rights in Turkey and will serve as a networking platform to further strengthen relationships of solidarity between the journalistic and legal communities in Germany and Turkey, and Europe at large.

Speakers will include:

• Erk Acarer, journalist, BirGün
• Nurcan Baysal, Kurdish journalist and human rights activist
• Sarah Clarke, policy and advocacy manager, PEN International
• Mehveş Evin, journalist, Artı Gerçek and Yeni Yaşam
• Tony Fisher, chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales
• Mustafa Kuleli, secretary general, Journalists’ Union of Turkey
• Nevşin Mengü, freelance journalist and former anchor, CNN Türk
• Bülent Mumay, former digital editor, Cumhuriyet
• Tora Pekin, prominent defence attorney and former lead Cumhuriyet lawyer
• Fatih Polat, editor-in-chief, Evrensel
• Çiğdem Toker, prominent economic correspondent, Sözcü newspaper
• Rıza Türmen, former Turkish judge at the European Court of Human Rights
• Deniz Yücel, correspondent, WELT

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE.

Advance registration for this event is required. To register, please provide your name to [email protected]. For media enquiries, please contact [email protected] or by telephone at (+43 1) 512 90 11.

Turkey's Media Under Siege: Expert Panel and Solidarity Event

  • Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 9:30 – 13:30
  • House of the European Union, Unter den Linden 78, Berlin, Germany
  • Advance registration is required. To register, please send your name to [email protected].
  • Language: Simultaneous interpretation English/Turkish
  • Questions regarding this event should be directed to [email protected] or by telephone at (+43 1) 512 90 11. Media enquiries should be directed to [email protected]. Click to download the full programme.
  • #freeturkeyjournalists

Over 160 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey, the world’s leading jailer of journalists. The vast majority of those held were detained – many arbitrarily and without formal charges – as part of a sweeping government crackdown on independent media following the July 2016 coup attempt. At the same time, government pressure on Turkey’s judicial system has curtailed the ability of journalists to defend their rights in court. The end of the state of emergency in July 2018 has failed to improve the situation.

Despite these odds, Turkey’s independent journalists are still working to bring much-needed news and information to the public.

This event is financially supported by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.