Türkiye
Türkiye has remained a difficult place for free expression, as authorities continue to crack down on writers, journalists, and creative artists. Fourteen writers are behind bars according to PEN America’s 2023 Freedom to Write Index. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won reelection in May 2023, ahead of which Turkish authorities detained several journalists. The government has also moved to censor more social media content with amendments to the country’s disinformation law in 2022.
What You Need to Know
Türkiye has been among the top 10 jailers of writers for the past five years and in 2023, the number of jailed writers decreased slightly from the Freedom to Write Index 2022, from 15 to 14.
Turkish authorities continued a steady campaign of arrests targeting Kurdish journalists, writers, and artists, including by weaponizing broad anti-terror laws against them and targeting them for arbitrary arrests.
In a PEN America report, exiled Turkish writer Aslı Erdoğan described the government’s targeting of creatives as part of a “systematic approach towards cutting the vocal cords of society.”
News
Individual Cases
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Ahmet Altan
Altan was detained after the 2016 coup attempt on spurious charges. After his life sentence was reduced to 10.5 years,… More
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İlhan Sami Çomak
Status: ImprisonedKurdish poet Çomak was arrested in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison for membership in the banned Kurdistan Workers’… More
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Mehmet Osman Kavala
Status: ImprisonedA noted philanthropist and publisher focusing on promoting intercultural understanding, Kavala was setting up a cultural center for Syrian refugees… More
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Pınar Selek
Status: Displaced/In ExileA feminist writer, Selek has been prosecuted for over 20 years on false claims related to her involvement in a… More
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Aslı Erdoğan
Status: Displaced/In ExileNovelist and occasional columnist for pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem, Erdoğan was detained after the 2016 coup attempt. Conditionally released four months… More
Cracking Down on Creative Voices: Turkey’s Silencing of Writers, Intellectuals, and Artists Five Years After the Failed Coup
In this report, PEN America outlines the legal mechanisms that the Turkish government has used to silence writers, activists, artists, academics, and creative professionals over the past five years. The paper shines a light on the devastating impact of the crackdown, urging the international community to demonstrate support and solidarity for Turkey’s creative community and push back against the Turkish government’s ongoing repression of freedom of expression.
