Turkey arrests three renowned press freedom campaigners

Turkish authorities have arrested three prominent press freedom campaigners, including the local representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), on charges of spreading "terrorist propaganda", according to human rights groups.

In addition to RSF representative Erol Onderoglu, author Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Fincanci, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, were also arrested on Monday.

A court ordered they be held in pre-trial detention after they guest-edited a newspaper on Kurdish issues and campaigned against efforts to censor it, said RSF and another group, EuroMed Rights.

A statement from Federica Mogherini, the European Union foreign policy chief, and Johannes Hahn, the enlargement commissioner, said the court decision "goes against Turkey's commitment to respect fundamental rights, including freedom of media".

"The EU has repeatedly stressed that Turkey, as a candidate country [for EU membership], must aspire to the highest possible democratic standards and practices," read her statement.

Onderoglu was arrested for his work on three articles about security operations in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast and infighting among security forces which appeared in the May 18 edition of the Ozgur Gundem magazine, said Johann Bihr from RSF.

Bihr described Onderoglu, who had worked for RSF for two decades, as a "victim of the abuses he always denounced".

It was unclear how long the three would be held in custody or when they would face trial.

Turkish officials contacted declined to comment on the issue or did not get back to Al Jazeera's calls.

Separately, top-selling Hurriyet newspaper, said its New York correspondent, Razi Canikligil, was detained on Monday upon his arrival at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. 

He was released on Tuesday after being questioned. The newspaper said that he was arrested over a tweet he posted.

Canikligil has reported on the US prosecution of Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab on charges he helped Iran evade American sanctions.

Zarrab's arrest in Florida in March and the case against him has captured attention in Turkey, where he was arrested in 2013 in a corruption probe into individuals with close ties to Erdogan. A US judge in New York on Monday scheduled Zarrab's trial for January 23.

Last month, Turkey came under fire for sentencing two prominent journalists at the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper to at least five years in jail for revealing state secrets in a case in which Erdogan was named as a complainant.

Authorities have seized or shut down several newspapers and taken broadcasters off the air in the last year, usually citing security concerns. They deny trying to muzzle free expression.

Press Council to award press freedom medals

The Australian Press Council will award two people the Press Freedom Medal as part of its 40th Anniversary Conference in May.

The announcement:

The Australian Press Council will honour two courageous individuals by awarding them the Press Freedom Medal as part of the proceedings of its 40th Anniversary Conference in May 2016.

The award is to be given annually to dedicated men and women who through their work as journalists, legal practitioners, community activists or advocates of press freedom ensure that critically important issues are brought to public attention.

The names of the recipients of the 2016 Press Freedom Medal will be made public officially at an award ceremony at 10:15 a.m. on 5 May, which is the second day of the Press Council’s international conference.

“The inaugural award winners are absolutely outstanding journalists who overcame threats and major obstacles to ensure that critical stories saw the light of day,” said the Press Council’s Chair, Professor David Weisbrot. “In future years, the Press Freedom Medal could just as easily be awarded to a judge who makes a crucial ruling that bolsters press freedom, or a community group, or individual activists who in their own way have contributed substantially to press freedom.”

“The theme of our conference is ‘Press Freedom in a Challenging Environment’, so it is entirely appropriate that this year we honour two people who have made such an important contribution through their reporting work.”

The two award winners for 2016 were selected by a special committee of Press Council members, taking into account the professional achievements over a number of years of a selection of journalists and other individuals. Particular articles or a series of articles that cast light on incidents or situations of major importance to the Australian community were also taken into consideration.

In the past, a Press Council Medal was awarded occasionally to a Council member for outstanding service to the organisation. At its quarterly meeting in February 2016, the Council decided to reinstate the practice of awarding medals, but instead for outstanding service to journalism and press freedom.

The names of this year’s Press Freedom Medal recipients, along with biographical material and photos, will be released to media under embargo 24 hours prior to the 5 May ceremony.
To help celebrate the organisation’s 40th Anniversary and its proud history of promoting press freedom and high standards of media practice, the Council is hosting a major international conference in Sydney.

Key themes of the conference will include:
– the influences of technological, social and commercial change on journalism quality;
– the need for reform of secrecy, censorship and defamation laws, and the risks of over-regulation by governments;
– the role of independent press councils in enhancing press freedom by setting high standards and maintaining public confidence.

For information about the conference or to book tickets, click here. For more information about the Press Freedom Medal or the activities of the Press Council, contact the Director of Research and Communications by email at michael.rose@presscouncil.org.au or by telephone: 0451 978 276.

Press Freedoms Declining in Hong Kong

Press freedom further declined in Hong Kong in 2015, driven by growing self-censorship and government interference as Beijing expands its influence over the city's boisterous media, a new report said Saturday.

The southern Chinese city prides itself on having relative freedom of expression compared with severely restricted reporting in mainland China, a legacy of Britain's handover of power in 1997.

"Press freedom in China, Hong Kong and Macau deteriorated further in 2015, as the Communist Party of China used every means at its disposal to control the media," the International Federation of Journalists' China Press Freedom Report said.

The report comes at a time when the fate of five booksellers, feared to have been detained in mainland China after disappearing late last year have put residents on edge with concerns the semi-autonomous city's freedoms are being eroded.

The five are from Hong Kong's Mighty Current publishing house, known for salacious titles critical of Beijing leaders.

"There has been strong outcry from the Hong Kong people, with many concerned about their personal safety and freedom of speech," the report said of sentiment after the disappearances.

The report also predicted China's ruling Communist Party will use resources to strengthen its influence in the city, which will hold elections for its legislature later in the year and for a new leader in 2017.

"As Hong Kong goes to elections next year the party is also using its considerable wealth to consolidate its influence over the region," it said.

Last year's report warned of "intervention behind the scenes" at a time when tensions remained high after more than two months of mass protests for fully free leadership elections in late 2014.

Ken Tsang, a pro-democracy activist who was allegedly beaten by police during the protests in an attack captured by television cameras and beamed around the world said the situation in Hong Kong was "terrible".

"Maybe we can say we have lots of freedoms but somebody is threating you at your back, I think all Hong Kong citizens can feel that," Tsang told AFP after a court hearing on Thursday.

"The situation is not that good, we are terrified," he said.

A British colony until 1997, Hong Kong is ruled under a "one country, two systems" deal that allows it far greater civil liberties than those enjoyed on the Chinese mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.

The report, presented at Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club, also called the outlook in 2016 for the rest of mainland China "even worse".

Chinese authorities have detained and harassed reporters, used forced television confessions and other methods in limiting and influencing reporting, the report said.