Brussels, 28/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 January, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said he was “shocked” by the prison life sentences demanded by prosecutors in Turkey for Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, the editor-in-chief and bureau chief respectively of Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.
The two opposition journalists are being investigated for spying. They uncovered the transport of weapons to Syria by the Turkish government. When their article was published on 29 May, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the journalists would pay a “high price” - words criticised at the time by Europeans (see EUROPE 11329). According to Turkish news agency Dogan, Erdogan and the head of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, are the complainants in this case.
“Equality and proportionality before the law are a must”, Hahn tweeted. “Everyone has the inalienable right for an independent and transparent investigation. These rights must be respected”, he added. European Commission spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, recalled “the inalienable right for an independent and transparent investigation in case of any alleged wrongdoing, with full respect of the rights of the defendants”. “It is the responsibility of the relevant political and judicial authorities in Turkey to ensure that these rights are respected”, she added in a response to EUROPE.
Kocijancic stated that the EU expected Turkey to ensure that its legislation is implemented in a manner which is in line with European standards enshrined in the European Convention for Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. “Freedom of expression must also be upheld, in line with the Copenhagen political criteria” for the accession process, she added, stating that an intimidating climate goes against this.
Questioned by journalists on Thursday 28 January, Kocijancic said that respect of the rule of law and fundamental rights, and the independence of the judiciary, have been the subject of discussions held in various formats, including the recent high level meeting between the EU and Turkey on Monday 25 January (see EUROPE 11475). She added that these subjects would also be discussed in the future as part of Turkey's EU accession process. Chapter 23 (judicial apparatus and fundamental rights) and 24 (freedom, security and justice), on which the Commission is currently working, are being blocked by Cyprus. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)