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Business Insider Australia
March 21 2014
10 Shameful Facts About Censorship In Turkey
Jeremy Bender
Turkey has a long tradition of censorship that culminated this week in
a ban on Twitter that has infuriated the international community.
Below we have compiled some of the most egregious examples of
censorship in Turkey, starting with the most recent one.
1. Turkey has blocked Twitter.
"Twitter, mwitter! We will wipe out roots of all," Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a campaign rally Thursday.
"They say, 'Sir, the international community can say this, can say
that.' I don't care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the state
of the Republic of Turkey is."
Twitter has helped Turkish protestors organise movements across the
country and spread uncensored anti-government opinions in the past
year.
2. Turkey jails more journalists than any other country.
The Committee To Protect Journalists reports that in 2012 Turkey had
more journalists in custody than any other country in the world.
Arrested journalists face charges ranging from aiding in terrorism to
producing propoganda.
3. Erdogan has threatened to ban both Facebook and YouTube should his
party win reelection in the March 30 general elections.
Turkey has previously banned YouTube after videos insulting Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder, were shared on the site.
4. Turkey's parliament approved new Internet restrictions in February
that allow for the almost immediate closing or removal of content from
any website.
This new step allows the government to close websites without
permission from the courts. The law requires Internet service
providers to close objectionable content within four hours or face
fines up to $US44,500.
5. Journalists who report on topics damaging to the government can be
forced from their jobs.
The main opposition leader in Turkey claimed last year that dozens of
journalists had been forced from their jobs for covering
antigovernment protests.
6. Media outlets are often owned by large conglomerates with major
conflicts of interest.
These conglomerates often maintain their media branches as simply a
way to curry favour with the government, The New York Times has
reported. By self-enforcing a policy of only pro-government reporting,
these moguls help to guarantee for themselves lucrative government
contracts in other business sectors such as banking or construction.
7. Turkish news outlets have ignored antigovernment protests altogether.
During the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul last summer, for instance,
CNN Turk broadcast a documentary about penguins while CNN filmed live
from the mass demonstrations.
8. It is a crime in Turkey to insult the Turkish nation.
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was charged with denigrating the Turkish
identity after talking about the Armenian genocide in a newspaper
intervie. He and could have faced jail time, and the case was only
dropped after international outrage.
Another Turkish author, Nedim Gursel, also faced charges for
"incitement to violence or hatred" after publishing his book
"Daughters of Allah," which supposedly insulted Islam.
9. Kurdish intellectuals and advocates often face extreme prejudice.
Kurdish -- the primary language of up to one third of Turkey's
population -- is still treated as a second-class language and all
education in government schools must be carried out in Turkish.
Kurdish journalists and intellectuals also face allegations of
supporting terrorism. Journalists reporting on Kurdish prejudice, or
the Kurdish terrorist organisation the PKK, can be charged and
imprisoned for making terrorist propaganda, Al Jazeera has reported.
10. For these reasons, and many more, Turkey is ranked 154 out of 180
by Reporters Without Borders in terms of press freedom.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/10-facts-about-censorship-in-turkey-2014-3
From: Baghdasarian
March 21 2014
10 Shameful Facts About Censorship In Turkey
Jeremy Bender
Turkey has a long tradition of censorship that culminated this week in
a ban on Twitter that has infuriated the international community.
Below we have compiled some of the most egregious examples of
censorship in Turkey, starting with the most recent one.
1. Turkey has blocked Twitter.
"Twitter, mwitter! We will wipe out roots of all," Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a campaign rally Thursday.
"They say, 'Sir, the international community can say this, can say
that.' I don't care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the state
of the Republic of Turkey is."
Twitter has helped Turkish protestors organise movements across the
country and spread uncensored anti-government opinions in the past
year.
2. Turkey jails more journalists than any other country.
The Committee To Protect Journalists reports that in 2012 Turkey had
more journalists in custody than any other country in the world.
Arrested journalists face charges ranging from aiding in terrorism to
producing propoganda.
3. Erdogan has threatened to ban both Facebook and YouTube should his
party win reelection in the March 30 general elections.
Turkey has previously banned YouTube after videos insulting Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder, were shared on the site.
4. Turkey's parliament approved new Internet restrictions in February
that allow for the almost immediate closing or removal of content from
any website.
This new step allows the government to close websites without
permission from the courts. The law requires Internet service
providers to close objectionable content within four hours or face
fines up to $US44,500.
5. Journalists who report on topics damaging to the government can be
forced from their jobs.
The main opposition leader in Turkey claimed last year that dozens of
journalists had been forced from their jobs for covering
antigovernment protests.
6. Media outlets are often owned by large conglomerates with major
conflicts of interest.
These conglomerates often maintain their media branches as simply a
way to curry favour with the government, The New York Times has
reported. By self-enforcing a policy of only pro-government reporting,
these moguls help to guarantee for themselves lucrative government
contracts in other business sectors such as banking or construction.
7. Turkish news outlets have ignored antigovernment protests altogether.
During the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul last summer, for instance,
CNN Turk broadcast a documentary about penguins while CNN filmed live
from the mass demonstrations.
8. It is a crime in Turkey to insult the Turkish nation.
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was charged with denigrating the Turkish
identity after talking about the Armenian genocide in a newspaper
intervie. He and could have faced jail time, and the case was only
dropped after international outrage.
Another Turkish author, Nedim Gursel, also faced charges for
"incitement to violence or hatred" after publishing his book
"Daughters of Allah," which supposedly insulted Islam.
9. Kurdish intellectuals and advocates often face extreme prejudice.
Kurdish -- the primary language of up to one third of Turkey's
population -- is still treated as a second-class language and all
education in government schools must be carried out in Turkish.
Kurdish journalists and intellectuals also face allegations of
supporting terrorism. Journalists reporting on Kurdish prejudice, or
the Kurdish terrorist organisation the PKK, can be charged and
imprisoned for making terrorist propaganda, Al Jazeera has reported.
10. For these reasons, and many more, Turkey is ranked 154 out of 180
by Reporters Without Borders in terms of press freedom.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/10-facts-about-censorship-in-turkey-2014-3
From: Baghdasarian