03 September 2010
Reporters Without Borders says it regrets that Kurdish publications again have been suspended in Turkey under the Anti-Terrorism Law.
RSF statement said the law itself allows the Turkish courts to impose harsh penalties on journalists and media when they allude to Kurdish armed separatists and fosters a repressive climate for the Kurdish media.
RSF statement protested suspension of Kurdish-language Azadiya Welat and Rojev newspapers, saying that it regrets that Kurdish publications have again been suspended.
RSF also reiterated its support for former Azadiya Welat editors Vedat Kursun and Ozan Kilinç and other journalists with Kurdish media who are serving long jail sentences.
"The case of Kursun, who has been sentenced to 166 years in prison, is emblematic of the way the Anti-Terrorism Law is being abused" the statement said.
The European Court of Human Rights condemned Turkey 12 times in cases involving freedom of expression in 2009. Seventeen percent of the rulings issued by the court since 1959 have concerned Turkey.
ANF NEWS DESK /
ANF NEWS AGENCY
