Brussels, 07/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - Europeans have been calling on Turkey to respect freedom of the press. On Friday 4 March, Turkish newspaper Zaman, which opposes Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was put under state control.
Upon arriving at the EU-Turkey summit, and without mentioning the Zaman case specifically, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini underlined the need for Turkey, as an EU candidate country, “to respond to the call from the European Union side (…), to respect the highest standards when it comes to democracy, rule of law, fundamental freedoms, starting with the freedom of expression and the freedom of association”. “These are core values of the European Union, any candidate country has to stick to these principles and values, and work concretely to promote them within its borders”, she added.
When it was announced that Zaman was being put under state control on Friday 4 March, Mogherini's spokesperson had already said that all countries, “particularly those that are negotiating EU accession”, must guarantee fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression, and a regular judicial process, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. “Free, diversified and independent media are cornerstones of a democratic society, facilitating the free movement of information and ideas, and ensuring transparency and responsibility”, the spokesperson said.
As he arrived at the EU-Turkey summit, France's President François Hollande stated that the EU should “be extremely vigilant with regard to some measures that have been taken, especially in relation to the press. The press must be free everywhere, and especially in Turkey”.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said at the end of a meeting with Turkey's prime minister before the summit that “freedom of the media was a key element of our European identity” and that it was a “non-negotiable element” of this identity. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)