His Excellency President Abdullah Gül
President of the Republic of Turkey
Cumhurbaşkanlığı Genel Sekreterliği
06689 Çankaya, Ankara
Tel: (+90 312) 470 23 08
Fax: (+90 312) 470 13 16
E-mail: cumhurbaskanligi@tccb.gov.tr
@cbabdullahgul
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Vekaletler Caddesi Başbakanlık Merkez Bina P.K. 06573 Kızılay, Ankara
Tel: (+90 312) 422 10 00
@RT_Erdogan
4 April 2014
His Excellency President Gül, Prime Minister Erdoğan,
We are writing as part of the global online campaign ’30 Days for Freedom’ to call for the release of Füsun Erdoğan, and all other journalists imprisoned in Turkey for simply doing their job.
Ms. Erdoğan was seized by plainclothes police from the middle of a crowded street in the city of Izmir in September 2006. She is accused of being a member of the outlawed Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), which she denies, and for “attempting to change the constitutional order by force.” She remained in custody for seven years until she was finally convicted in early November 2013 - along with three other journalists - to life in prison without parole, plus 300 years.
Ms. Erdoğan says no concrete links can be found anywhere in her 300 page indictment tying her to her alleged crimes. As a founder of the radio station Özgür Radyo (Radio Free), which is known to be critical of the government, we are deeply concerned her imprisonment is politically motivated.
Your Excellency, Prime Minister, until the recent release of eight journalists at the end of March, Turkey had been the leading jailer of journalists worldwide for the past two years. Those released have not had their charges fully dropped and the threat of jail still looms over many, while hefty sentences and the country’s anti-terrorism laws allow defendants to be detained for lengthy periods before being formally charged. Recent moves to block access to Internet and social media sites are further indication of Turkey’s clampdown on critical, independent voices.
We therefore urge you to respect a free and independent press and to stop criminalising journalists. We call on you to free Füsun Erdoğan and all other Turkish journalists imprisoned in Turkey.
Sincerely,
#FreethePress
The 30 Days for Freedom campaign
Organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum, the ‘30 Days for Freedom’ campaign aims to highlight the plight of imprisoned journalists worldwide in the 30 days leading up to 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.
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