PEN International and 38 civil society organisations deplore decision to block Ozguruz and
call for an end to the harassment of Can Dundar: AEJ joins global protest against Turkey’s move
19 June 2020 – PEN International and 38 civil society organisations deplore the decision by a
Turkish court to ban access to Germany-based online radio station Ozguruz (‘We Are Free’),
which is headed by Can Dundar. We call on the Turkish authorities to reverse the decision, to
stop the harassment of Dundar and to reform the country’s laws and judicial practice so that
internet freedom can be guaranteed.
On 16 June, the Ankara 4th Criminal Court of the Peace banned access to the station and its
website ozguruz20.org at the request of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (Radyo ve
Televizyon Ust Kurulu, RTUK), which apparently argued that the station was streaming radio
illegally and reporting and streaming content against Turkey. RTUK in an unofficial statement
calls Dundar a ‘fugitive FETO suspect’ and refers to his trial over disclosing state documents
and information and obtaining secret information for the purpose of espionage, although the
latter charge was dismissed.
Dundar, a former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, said in response: ‘The
Government, especially in the recent period, has taken control of information sources like the
Turkish Statistical Institute and a huge portion of the news media; however it could not
oversee media organisations like Ozguruz Radyo streaming freely from exile.’ He also
announced that the radio will continue to broadcast on ozguruz21.org.
Internet freedom in Turkey is under sustained attack from the government and the routine
unlawful blocking of websites, where this is not strictly necessary and proportionate to a
legitimate objective, encroaches on the already limited space for independent media and
dissenting voices.
Dundar has been the victim of judicial harassment by the Turkish authorities since 2015, with
several criminal procedures on-going. He was detained between 26 November 2015 and 26
February 2016, and has been living in exile in Germany since December 2016. Ozguruz has
been repeatedly blocked by the Turkish authorities in the past, including in January 2017,
before it had started publishing news.
Signed:
PEN International
Albanian PEN
ARTICLE 19
Articolo 21
Association of European Journalists
English PEN
Estonian PEN
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Freedom House
German PEN
Hungarian PEN
Independent Chinese PEN Centre
Index on Censorship
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Irish PEN / Freedom to Write Campaign
Japan PEN Club
Latvia PEN
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
PEN Canada
PEN Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina
PEN Eritrea
PEN Lebanon
PEN Melbourne
PEN Norway
PEN Quebec
PEN Suisse Romand
PEN Turkey
PEN Uganda
PEN Venezuela
PEN Vietnam
Romanian PEN
San Miguel PEN
Scottish PEN
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Swedish PEN
Swiss-German PEN
Trieste PEN
Wales PEN Cymru