Brussels, 15/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - In a resolution adopted in Strasbourg on Thursday 15 January, the members of the European Parliament have condemned police raids and the arrests of several journalists in Turkey on 14 December of last year. They call on the Turkish government to defend the freedom of the media and stress that “a free and plural media is a vital component of any democracy”. They also reiterate that access to pre-accession funding requires progress to be made in reforms.
The Parliament calls on the Turkish authorities to provide “full and transparent information on the allegations made against the defendants, to give the defendants the right of unrestricted access to the evidence against them and to their defence rights and to ensure the proper treatment of the cases in order immediately to establish the veracity of the accusations beyond any reasonable doubt”. The Parliament also expresses concern at the “steps backwards in democratic reforms and, in particular, the lessening of the government's tolerance to public demonstration and criticism in the media”. It reminds the Turkish government that “the greatest possible care must be taken towards the media and journalists, as the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media remains the cornerstone in the functioning of any open and democratic society”. The MEPs also point out that, in line with the conclusions of the European Council of 16 December, the pre-accession aid instrument for the period 2014-2020 provides for greater coherence between financial assistance and overall progress made in the application of the pre-accession strategy, including the full respect of the media and the fundamental freedoms. They therefore call for “more attention to be paid to the independent media under the pre-accession instrument”..
In a press release, the S&D group stresses that “in a democratic country, the freedom to criticise the government and the party in power cannot be limited or endangered”. The President of the S&D group, Italy's Gianni Pittella, argues that the freedom of the media must be a priority for Turkey, which must consequently set in place the necessary legal structures to guarantee this freedom, in line with European and international standards. Taking the view that Turkey's actions are “unacceptable for an accession candidate country”, Germany's Alexander Lambsdorff of the ALDE group describes the resolution as a “clear signal to the Turkish government that the European Parliament will not make any exceptions when the fundamental freedoms are in danger, within the European Union or outside it”. Speaking out against other recent restrictions of access to certain Internet sites by the Turkish authorities, Ernest Maragall (Greens/EFA, Spain) calls on the EU to stay tough towards Turkey and on Turkey to work towards reforms to turn the situation around. (IL)