Deputy leader of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party, Sezgin Tanrikulu, stated that At least 774 journalists were fired and 156 were detained in Turkey.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 774 journalists were fired and 156 were detained in Turkey during the course of 2015, a deputy leader of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party, Sezgin Tanrikulu, said Monday.
In addition to the dismissals and detentions, 484 legal actions against journalists were taken by judicial authorities, while 200 workers of press and seven media companies were investigated in the country in 2015, Tanrikulu told a news conference, as cited by the local Hurriyet Daily News newspaper.
The opposition politician stressed that Turkish democracy was “bankrupt.”
Turkey ranked 149th out of 180 countries in the press freedom index, released by the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders in February 2015.