Haberler      English      العربية      Pусский      Kurdî      Türkçe
  En.Haberler.Com - Latest News
SEARCH IN NEWS:
  HOME PAGE 29/03/2024 17:27 
News  > 

EP Slams Turkey Over Breaches Of Freedom Of Expression

18.12.2014 19:04

Members of the European Parliament (EP) have voiced concerns over the recent arrests of journalists in Turkey and condemned all actions against media freedom.The mass media arrests, in which senior media figures were arrested over the weekend, was on the agenda of EP members during a plenary debate on Wednesday afternoon. “They agreed that the deterioration in the rule of law and fundamental rights in the country is an issue that needs to be tackled,” read a written statement released by the EP late on Wednesday. The members agreed that Turkey is moving away from the core EU values, the statement read, and it recalled the remarks of EP President Martin Schulz, who criticized the arrests on Monday.The parliament will vote on a resolution on freedom of expression in Turkey in January.More than a dozen prominent journalists, including Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, were detained on Dec. 14 throughout Turkey on charges of plotting against a group linked to al-Qaeda.A number of member

Members of the European Parliament (EP) have voiced concerns over the recent arrests of journalists in Turkey and condemned all actions against media freedom.

The mass media arrests, in which senior media figures were arrested over the weekend, was on the agenda of EP members during a plenary debate on Wednesday afternoon. “They agreed that the deterioration in the rule of law and fundamental rights in the country is an issue that needs to be tackled,” read a written statement released by the EP late on Wednesday.

The members agreed that Turkey is moving away from the core EU values, the statement read, and it recalled the remarks of EP President Martin Schulz, who criticized the arrests on Monday.

The parliament will vote on a resolution on freedom of expression in Turkey in January.

More than a dozen prominent journalists, including Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, were detained on Dec. 14 throughout Turkey on charges of plotting against a group linked to al-Qaeda.

A number of members of the EP expressed their concern while speaking at the plenary debate, according to reports.

Marietje Schaake, a Dutch member of the parliament, said Turkey's EU accession negotiations cannot continue without taking the arrests into consideration. Schaake also suggested that the suspension of financial aid to Turkey should be on the EU's agenda.

Gunnar Hökmark, a member of the group of the European People's Party (EPP), said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is leading Turkey in the wrong direction. Hökmark added that the country is not only straying away from its potential EU membership but also away from being a transparent country.

Ska Keller, a member of the Greens group, said the arrested journalists are facing “absurd accusations.” Keller added that some of the EU member states had also made a mistake by blocking the opening of some chapters during Turkey's EU accession process.

Ankara needs to prove its commitment to the EU

Kati Piri, the EP's new rapporteur to Turkey, said the events of Dec. 14 have raised serious concern over Turkey's willingness to make progress in terms of democratic reforms. Piri noted that Ankara will have to convince the EU of its commitment to the union's core values.

Artis Pabriks, the co-chairman of the European Parliament's Friends of Turkey group, suggested that the EU should consider Turkey and the Turkish government as separate, underlining that millions of Turkish people share the values of the EU.

Jeroen Lenaers, a member of the EPP, claimed that Turkey is the only candidate that is not showing progress, but instead is moving backwards.

EPP member Renate Sommer said Turkey has made a "regressive" move and suggested that the EU should discuss possible sanctions against Turkey.

European Conservatives and Reformists Group member Mark Demesmaeker said the arrests are "big trouble" for Turkey and underscored the importance of media freedom.

Edouard Ferrand, an unattached member of the EP, said the arrests have shown once more that Turkey is not a democratic country. Nothing is able to stop Erdoğan, he added.

Kristina Winberg, a member of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group, said freedom of expression has been trampled underfoot once more in Turkey.

Vice Chair of the Confederal Group of the European United Left Patrick Le Hyaric said it is obvious that the police operation had been orchestrated by the Turkish government before Dec. 14.

Co-chairman of the Greens in the European Parliament Rebecca Harms told the Cihan news agency that it would not be correct to consider the recent arrests as a result of a fight between the faith-based Gülen movement and the Turkish government. Harms called on all opposition groups in Turkey to stand behind the media groups that are being targeted by the government.

The EPP has also condemned the arrests, asking Ankara if they really want to join the European Union. "There are worsening signals that the rule of law and the freedom of expression in Turkey are not being respected," the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

The EPP Group Spokesman on Foreign Affairs, Cristian Preda, has called on Turkish politicians to clarify the direction that they want to take regarding European Union accession. "I feel that at this point in time, the intention of the Turkish authorities is no longer clear -- do they still want to join the EU or not? Do they still want to build a democratic, free society? Those in the Turkish society that support EU accession, and particularly businessmen, are extremely worried about the independence of the judiciary and freedom of the press. More than anything, this should raise the alarm about the recent events to all those who support the European future of this country," he said.

Media arrests are ‘against EU values'

Manolis Kefalogiannis, the chair of the European Parliament delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, said on Wednesday that Sunday's police raids and mass arrest of journalists and media representatives in Turkey "are of great concern" and that the detentions of journalists go against EU values, including the respect for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.

Kefalogiannis said the arrests of journalists constitute a serious attack against one of the core values of liberal democracies and violate an undeniable precondition for EU membership: freedom of the media and liberty of expression.

Actions like these by the Turkish government, the EP delegation chair underlined, are not in line with Turkey's aspirations of joining the EU.

He added that the presumable legal basis for the arrests, a recently adopted law making it possible to arrest suspects based on "reasonable doubt," is doubtful in itself and should not be abused.

"We expect that the principle of the presumption of innocence will prevail. We will convey our concerns to our Turkish counterparts of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee," the chairman concluded.

Erdoğan continued his criticism of the EU on Wednesday and accused EU officials of issuing statements composed of “lies” about the detention of journalists in Turkey.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a high-speed train line in Konya, Erdoğan said some EU officials have pre-judged the operation, which he said is in line with the rule of law.

“Ladies and gentlemen, those days have passed. You may make statements [made up] of lies, but we determine our way by ourselves,” Erdoğan said.

Furthermore, Erdoğan called on the EU to come to Turkey to get a lecture on real democracy. “They [EU officials] are disturbed by my remarks. Why are you troubled [by my statements]?” Erdoğan added.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
Latest News





 
 
Top News