In the week which marked Press Freedom Day, Amnesty International’s #FreeTurkeyMedia campaign has taken off online.
With more than 120 members of the press imprisoned in Erdogan’s Turkey, it is the number one jailer of journalists worldwide. A third of those detained worldwide are held in Turkish jails.
Added to that, 156 media outlets have been shut down since last July’s failed coup, including nearly all Kurdish newspapers and television/radio stations. And just this week, Turkey blocked the online encyclopedia Wikipedia “until it removes false content”, in its latest attempt to restrict online freedoms.
It is in this context that the rights organization has called upon activists to share selfies with the hashtag #FreeTurkeyMedia attached. This, in solidarity with the prisoners, many of whom are held without trial and denied access to legal assistance.
Here are just a few of the examples of how the campaign is spreading internationally.
In Germany:
Now in front of Brandenburg Gate: Concert in solidarity with detained journalists in #Turkey @amnesty_de #FreeTurkeyMedia #WPFD17 pic.twitter.com/WyS296C6K4
— Marie Lucas (@MarieLoucas) May 3, 2017
In Italy:
Bentornato #GabrieleDelGrande
— barbara castiello (@b_castiello) April 24, 2017
ora liberi anche gli altri giornalisti / libera informazione in #Turchia#FreeTurkeyMedia #ijf17 pic.twitter.com/zkfa0HzLtk
In the UK:
Journalists, cartoonists & campaigners gathered outside #Turkey's embassy in London to demand #FreeTurkeyMedia #WPF pic.twitter.com/FjQV89JUjn
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) May 3, 2017
protesting outside #TurkishEmbassy in #London for #WPFD2017 #freeturkeymedia v @article19europe Letter to Turkish ambassador in #UK Turkey pic.twitter.com/U1wOQ15wuY
— Nuran Ryder (@nuryder) May 3, 2017
And in Denmark:
Protest in front of #Turkey Embassy in Denmark #FreeTurkeyMedia #WPFD2017 pic.twitter.com/KINIFyjg2M
— Amnesty Danmark (@amnestydk) May 3, 2017
Cartoonists have also contributed to the campaign:
Cartoonists submit drawings for #FreeTurkeyMedia campaign to free journalists in #Turkey. Follow @FreeTurkeyMedia pic.twitter.com/xGHYh2fnkU
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) April 24, 2017
The movement has already achieved a major success, with Italian journalist Gabriele del Grande freed on April 24. The 34-year-old had gone on hunger strike a week before in protest at his imprisonment in the south of the country.
Great news #GabrieledelGrande has been freed! Now let's keep pushing to free the 120+ journalists still in Turkish jails. #FreeTurkeyMedia pic.twitter.com/67cn0tmkUY
— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) April 24, 2017
Over 250,000 people have so far signed a petition for the journalists' release. Still, with so many journalists still in Turkish jails, the fight for media freedom continues.
RA
