BHRC was pleased to take part in a virtual conference on 21 June 2020, hosted by the Media and Law Studies Association and PEN International, regarding Nedim Türfent, a Kurdish journalist who has now been imprisoned for 1,500 days on ‘freedom of expression’ charges.
The conference highlighted the continuing dire situation for journalists in Turkey, and in particular the situation in the Kurdish regions, with continuing attacks on freedom of expression and the suppression of independent journalism.
Pete Weatherby QC, BHRC Executive Committee member, appeared on the panel and spoke of the involvement of BHRC in a series of trial observations in journalism cases, and the importance of the finding of the ECtHR in the Demirtas case, that violations of the Kurdish leader’s rights had been for political reasons – to curtail his freedom of expression and ability to take part in the democratic process. Pete went on to discuss the consequences of the diminution of judicial independence by a series of changes to the appointments, and administrative and disciplinary procedures relating to judges, and the arrest and dismissal of a quarter of the judiciary following the failed 2016 coup.
