This blog post was published under the 2015 to 2024 Conservative government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Turkey

20th October 2015

Expression should be free

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Without freedom of expression and the rule of law, no democracy can flourish.

Both are also closely linked to stability and prosperity, as I wrote in my recent blog on Ahmet Hakan.

So I was delighted to attend a conference, “Expression should be free”, organised in Istanbul on 19 October by P24, a platform for independent journalists in Turkey, and Article 19, a London-based organisation dedicated to freedom of expression.  The event was also supported by The Guardian Foundation, which works to promote the freedom of the press.

Those speaking at the event included Doğan Akın, Editor of T24 Independent Internet Newspapers; Eren Keskin, Editor of Özgür Gündem; P24 President Hasan Cemal; Cumhuriyet Editor Can Dündar; Perihan Mağden of Nokta; and Zaman Editor Abdülhamit Bilici.

As I said in my earlier blog: “All of us, whether politicians, diplomats or representatives of the media, should continue to state clearly and consistently our support for freedom of expression, without any ifs or buts; and our abhorrence of all forms of violence directed against the media – and the threats and intimidation that encourage it.”

Follow Leigh Turner on Twitter at @leighturnerFCO

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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