I was proud to be one of a number of Consuls General, who visited the offices of Cumhuriyet on 6 January. We made the following statement, and handed over a signed text:
“As representatives of EU consulates based in Istanbul, we wish for Turkish journalists across the whole political spectrum to be able to exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms as provided for in international, European and Turkish law and we wish Turkey the media diversity needed to ensure a lively democratic debate.”
The UK has expressed concern over the detention of journalists, including Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, and is a strong supporter of freedom of expression in Turkey and around the world. I’ve written about this before, including my blogs of 2 October, 20 October and 2 November last year, Turkey: media freedom, stability and security, Expression should be free and Crimes against journalists. Richard Moore, Ambassador in Ankara, examined the broader themes behind such initiatives elegantly in his 10 December 2015 blog Why the UK cares about human rights.
All those blogs underline that freedom of expression and the rule of law are vital foundations for a strong democracy.
And by way of a reminder of why the UK wants Turkey to be strong and successful, I recommend my blog of this time last year: Turkey 2023: why the UK welcomes Turkish success. Enjoy.
Follow Leigh Turner on Twitter @LeighTurnerFCO