Turkey: journalists fear new law

Posted by John Burke on March 21, 2005 at 5:59 PM

According to BBC News more than 150 Turkish journalists protested last week against the installment of a new penal code that they fear will threaten freedom of the press. The new code, due to apply starting April 1, was passed as part of Turkey’s bid to start EU entry talks. Though the law was praised in Europe for its human rights reforms, protesters argue is vague wording will facilitate Turkish authorities’ abilities to crack down on the media. Press groups appealed for the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to suspend the code’s introduction and allow for amendments to the articles dealing with the press, claiming that the code as it stands will cause “many arbitrary prosecutions and pack prisons with journalists.”

Source: The BBC