Turkey Now Targeting Foreign Journalists

Zaman media group employees hold banners outside the headquarters of Zaman daily newspaper in Istanbul. © Murad Sezer / Reuters

Wall Street Journal: Wall Street Journal Reporter Sentenced to Prison by Turkish Court

Conviction on terrorist propaganda charges highlights government’s increased targeting of journalists; reporter to appeal decision

A Turkish court sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Ayla Albayrak to two years and one month in prison Tuesday, declaring her guilty of engaging in terrorist propaganda in support of a banned Kurdish separatist organization through one of her Journal articles.

The conviction of Ms. Albayrak, who is currently in New York, highlights the increasing targeting of journalists in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has gained attention for deteriorating media freedoms.

“This was an unfounded criminal charge and wildly inappropriate conviction that wrongly singled out a balanced Wall Street Journal report,” said Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Gerard Baker. “The sole purpose of the article was to provide objective and independent reporting on events in Turkey, and it succeeded.”

Ms. Albayrak plans to appeal the decision.

“Given the current climate in Turkey, this appalling decision shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, but it did,” said Ms. Albayrak.

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WNU Editor: After destroying the independence of Turkey's news media (see link here), the Turkish government of Recep Erdogan is now targeting foreign journalists and institutions. This is not going to end well.

Update: Turkey is not the only one targeting the foreign news media .... Moscow warns it may restrict US media in Russia (CNBC).