The Morning Star NUJ chapel reaffirmed concerns over press freedom and the clampdown of opposition voices in Turkey and offered support and solidarity to those who have been arrested and jailed by Erdoğan's government.
Evrensel newspaper — ex-editor in chief Vural Nasuhbeyoğlu and ex-publisher Mehmet Arif Koşar — were found £2,000 each for printing an article that was deemed to "insult the president."
The Morning Star NUJ chapel agreed to try and raise funds to help with the fines incurred by Nasuhbeyoğlu and Koşar.
The Morning Star NUJ chapel’s statement is here:
“Our own Father of the Chapel (FoC) Steve Sweeney was detained for 8 hours in a recent trip to the country and was interrogated by anti-terror units and held by up to 16 men armed with Kalashnikovs and pistols.
He was quizzed about articles he had written that were critical of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and accused him of being a terrorist.
Turkey continues to subject journalists and opposition voices to harassment, intimidation and detention for simply writing the news.
The country currently hosts a third of the world's total jailed journalists and has shut down hundreds of media outlets using emergency decrees.
Journalism is not a crime, and we stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Turkey.” (EVRENSEL DAILY)
Hediye Levent
Yusuf Karadaş
Yücel Özdemir