Committee to Protect Journalists sent an open letter to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council and Jean-Claude Junker, president of the European Commission and called on both to raise press freedom with Turkey.
CPJ’s Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch’s letter urged Tusk and Junker to raise the issue of press freedom in Turkey on their meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Varna on March 26.
“Turkey is the world's leading jailer of journalists, with more than 70 behind bars in relation to their work at the time of CPJ's latest prison census” the letter read.
In the letter Radsch provided examples of prosecutions against journalists and said, “As Turkey and the EU work together on a range of important issues, ensuring that the EU meets its commitments to defending fundamental rights must not be a side note. It must be a condition.
We hope that you will agree that these concerns must be raised during your meeting with President Erdoğan and are happy to provide any additional information you might require to ensure this happens”.
