Medya News
Daily Review
Breaking News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Medya News ban in Turkey is tip of the censorship iceberg

10:56 am 03/11/2022
A A
In the UK, pity for Begum, none for the Kurds
Share post

Matt Broomfield

The Medya News website has been banned in Turkey, but with censorship targeting hundreds of thousands of web pages including sites like Wikipedia and YouTube plus the Western press, it’s clear Turkey’s programme of censorship is not limited to the Kurdish media.

It will come as no surprise to Medya News readers to learn that Turkey has seemingly blocked access to our website. Any coverage of the Kurdish struggle for rights, self-determination and democracy is likely to incur a swift and aggressive response from the Erdoğan government. But Turkey’s programme of censorship and liquidation of free expression and open criticism is not limited to the Kurdish media.

There are currently 67 imprisoned journalists most of whom are from Kurdish media outlets.

Between 2014 and 2018 alone, the Turkish government completely blocked access to over 245,000 web pages, including Wikipedia and Facebook. Twitter and YouTube, too, were formerly on the government’s red list, for the same crime of refusing to remove content not to the liking of the Turkish authorities. In 2019, Turkey blocked access to 408,000 sites, 40,000 tweets, 10,000 YouTube videos and 6,200 Facebook shares, according to statistics from the website TechRadar.

Some of these bans have been lifted. Many others remain in place. Fresh bans were issued earlier this summer on Germany’s Deutsche Welle and the US government-run Voice of America, since these well-respected media organisations refused to comply with the demands of Turkey’s media watchdog RTUK, which in recent years has been granted sweeping powers to control the Turkish media.

Since June 2022, more than 20 Kurdish journalists have been detained, arrested by Turkish government while many others also have been detained and mistreated.

A useful report by the website Global Voices outlines the legal mechanisms Turkey has slowly introduced across two decades of increasingly autocratic rule by Erdoğan, gradually enabling the government to gag online news sources with little recourse to appeal. Step by step, new amendmends have introduced further restrictions, meaning news sites can be extremely rapidly shut down on the basis of a simple request. Though there is no official statement yet from the Turkish authorities on Medya News being banned, readers in Turkey report loss of access, and it appears likely the site has been redlisted in the course of an investigation into alleged infractions.

Such attacks on the independent and opposition media in Turkey have left the country in dire straits. Pro-government companies and businessmen now control over 90% of the mainstream media in the company. And court-ordered censorship is just one of the weapons at Turkey’s disposal in its campaign to prevent criticism of corruption, its ongoing wars against the Kurds, and the violent repression of minority, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights within Turkey.

In 2019, Turkey blocked access to 408,000 sites, 40,000 tweets, 10,000 YouTube videos and 6,200 Facebook shares, according to statistics from the website TechRadar

Another nine journalists were disappeared in a dawn raid and jailed in Turkey at the end of October, in an operation which followed the arrest of 21 other Kurdish journalists in June. Their detention means there are now an estimated 65 journalists in jail in Turkey, ranking the country among the world’s five worst jailers of journalists.

Reporters Without Borders place Turkey at 149 out of 180 countries for press freedom, saying: “Discriminatory practices against critical journalists and media outlets, such as stripping them of press passes, are commonplace. Judges who do the government’s bidding are trying to limit democratic debate by censoring online articles tackling corruption and similarly sensitive topics.”

Another nine journalists were disappeared in a dawn raid and jailed in Turkey at the end of October, in an operation which followed the arrest of 21 other Kurdish journalists in June

And the situation is only deteriorating, particularly in the run-up to crucial 2023 elections in which the pro-Kurdish, pro-minority rights People’s Democratic Party (HDP) is expected to play a kingmaker role if it isn’t banned. In a move commentators describe as a death knell for independent and opposition media in Turkey, the state is planning to introduce serious criminal sanctions for what it views as the dissemination of ‘fake news’ through both traditional and social media. The issuing of such rampant powers to censor legitimate critique and reportage can only lead in one direction.

Of course, wide-spread and worsening censorship also mean the Turkish government fears criticism of its actions – whether on Wikipedia, by Deutsche Welle, or by Medya News. It is to be hoped that international press outlets with bureaus in Ankara will not remain silent during attacks on their colleagues in the Kurdish press, and instead advocate for freedom of expression and democratic opposition in a country which still dares to call itself a democracy.

Matt Broomfield is a freelance journalist, poet and activist. He writes for VICE, Medya News, the New Statesman and the New Arab; his prose has been published by The Mays, Anti-Heroin Chic and Plenitude; and his poetry by the National Poetry Society, the Independent, and Bare Fiction. His work was displayed across London by Poetry on the Underground, and he is a Foyle Young Poet of the Year.


Share post

Related Posts

KCK extends no-action period: Besê Hozat

KCK extends no-action period: Besê Hozat

March 29, 2023
Self-declared Hizbullahist makes public death threat against opposition MPs in Turkey

Self-declared Hizbullahist makes public death threat against opposition MPs in Turkey

March 29, 2023
Labour and Freedom Alliance running against ‘darkest alliance in history’: HDP Co-chair Sancar

Labour and Freedom Alliance running against ‘darkest alliance in history’: HDP Co-chair Sancar

March 29, 2023
Medya News Daily Review: 29 March 2023

Medya News Daily Review: 29 March 2023

March 29, 2023
Turkey’s Labour Party candidates will run under alliance list

Turkey’s Labour Party candidates will run under alliance list

March 29, 2023
Over half of forest cover lost since Turkish takeover of Syria’s Afrin: report

Over half of forest cover lost since Turkish takeover of Syria’s Afrin: report

March 29, 2023

Videos

KCK extends no-action period: Besê Hozat
KURDISTAN

KCK extends no-action period: Besê Hozat

March 29, 2023

All News

KCK extends no-action period: Besê Hozat

Self-declared Hizbullahist makes public death threat against opposition MPs in Turkey

Labour and Freedom Alliance running against ‘darkest alliance in history’: HDP Co-chair Sancar

Medya News Daily Review: 29 March 2023

Turkey’s Labour Party candidates will run under alliance list

Over half of forest cover lost since Turkish takeover of Syria’s Afrin: report

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Review
  • Breaking News
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact