Responding to news that the Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 42 journalists, Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe, said:

“This is the latest alarming development in what is increasingly becoming a brazen purge based on political affiliation.

“By rounding up journalists the government is failing to make a distinction between criminal acts and legitimate criticism. Rather than stifling press freedom and intimidating journalists into silence it is vital that Turkish authorities allow the media to do their work and end this draconian clampdown on freedom of expression.”

Background

On 24 July, Amnesty revealed that it has gathered credible evidence that detainees in Turkey are being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centres.

Amnesty also learned that the authorities arbitrarily blocked access to news websites in the days following the coup attempt as well as revoking the licenses of other media outlets. Dozens of individual journalists have had their press cards cancelled.