A brief history of judiciary’s war on journalism in Russia and Turkey
Authors: Asuman Aranca, Evin Barış Altıntaş, Anna Romashchenko, Nate Schenkkan, Gökçer Tahincioğlu, Sibel Yükler, Roman Zholud
Defenses of independent journalists against authoritarian or malign regimes remain weak across the world. Russia and Turkey – united in not just the increasingly authoritarian way they are ruled but also in their “in-betweenness” have been no exception in this regard.
Since the start of its occupation of Ukrainian territories in February 2022, an even bleaker outlook prevails in Russia. At the same time, officials in Turkey, which is on the verge of a historic election, have been showing hostility towards neighbors, even threatening war against Greece on several occasions.
This publication is a reprint of its first verison, which was published with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) in May 2023 under the headline “Gavels vs Pens.”
It is a joint product of two civil society organizations – Journalists and Lawyers for Freedom of Expression (JAM), MLSA’s sister organization in Berlin founded to offer legal and professional support to exiled journalists from Turkey, Russia and other regions, and Mass Media Defence Centre (MMDC), a civil society organization working in the field of media rights protection and the promotion of freedom of expression standards in Russia.
The trials examined here show the tactics used by the authorities to label and accuse journalists of terrorism or crimes against the state. This publication is written in the hopes of presenting a better picture of how the legislative processes are used against independent media to encourage readers to draw lessons in developing better legislation, as well as international mechanisms that protect journalists from abusive justice systems.
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