Brussels, 1 July 2022
Statement by Nacho Sánchez Amor and Sergey Lagodinsky following the Turkish decision to ban access to Deutsche Welle and Voice of America’s Turkish-language version.
“The de-facto shutdown of two renowned international media outlets by the Turkish authorities is an unacceptable act of censorship. By forcing international media to obtain licences from the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council, the Turkish government is blackmailing media representatives into giving up independent reporting.
The European Parliament and international observers will not tolerate this most recent attack on the freedom of the press. The decision to block access to all of Deutsche Welle and Voice of America’s content is another blow to freedoms that are already incredibly fragile in Turkey. Citizens in Turkey have the right to access unbiased and free sources of information.
We express our full solidarity with journalists in Turkey who work tirelessly to provide balanced and non-partisan news coverage. Their work remains an important pillar of democracy. We call upon Turkish authorities to immediately stop blocking independent media and abstain from continuous attacks on fundamental rights and freedoms. In the face of already strained relations between the EU and Turkey and shrinking democratic spaces in the country, we call for an immediate change of course.”
Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spain) is the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Turkey.
Sergey Lagodinsky (The Greens/EFA, Germany) is the Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Source – EU Parliament