Report: Turkey Copying Russia, Using Courts to Target Journalists

A report published by Germany's Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom on Thursday says Turkish and Russian governments are targeting journalists with an increasing number of court cases, using similar strategies.

"In authoritarian regimes, a common pattern emerges wherein the control over media and the judiciary is established. Both Russia and Turkey are following different stages of this playbook," Baris Altintas, Co-Director of Media and Law Studies Association, MLSA, and one of the authors of the report, told BIRN.

Altintas recalled that a significant number of journalists in Russia have been forced to flee the country.

"They have been unjustly labelled as either foreign agents, extremists, or undesirable organizations, even including media outlets and individuals. In Turkey, the rise of an anti-LGBTQ+ campaign parallels the alarming trends observed in Russia," Altintas said.

The report, named "Gavels Against Pen: The Judiciary's assault on journalism in Russia and Turkey", underlines that Turkish journalists may face the same fate as Russian journalists.

"It is foreseeable that many journalists in Turkey will also face the same difficult choices as their Russian counterparts, and we cannot disregard the potential for a similar outcome leading to conflict, such as Russia's war on Ukraine," Altintas added.

The report explains how autocratic governments target journalists with false and fabricated claims, especially about security forces, corruption reporting and reports about politicians.

In Russia, critical journalists have been made enemies of the state.

"Accusations that involve crimes against the state are among the harshest that can be made. In contemporary Russia, they have become an instrument for...