Turkey
Newspaper wiretapped without court OKPosted Sep 27 2009
The Turkish Justice Ministry confirmed Sept. 17 that one of the country’s largest daily newspapers, Cumhuriyet, was wiretapped without court approval. The phone calls to and from the newsroom were monitored as part of the Ergenekon Investigation, which is looking into a suspected plot to overthrow the government.
Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported that a conversation between İlhan Taşçı, a correspondent, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, deputy president of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) was wiretapped. Kılıçdaroğlu applied for an investigation to be opened, but the justice ministry rejected the application. Cumhuriyet claims that because none of the reporters are named in the investigation, placing the transcripts in the investigation file is reprehensible.
The International Press Institute (IPI) has expressed concern that Turkish authorities are using the Ergenekon Investigation to persecute Turkish independent media. In a statement, Ferai Tinc, chairperson of the IPI National Committee in Turkey, said, “Listening to the communications of a newspaper, and including conversations of reporters who are not related to the [Ergenekon] case, whose names are not in the indictment, is one way to silence the media and threaten press freedom.”
More information
- International Press Institute
- bianet
- Hurriyet Daily News