Fear is mounting among Turkey's journalists. For many, the current climate is reminiscent of the aftermath of the attempted coup in July 2016, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on critics and opposition figures in an unprecedented wave of arrests.

Just a week ago, Turkish media reports cited the president as saying after a Cabinet meeting that the country had to be rescued not only from the coronavirus but from "all media and political viruses, too," referring to journalists and critics from opposition parties.

Read more: Opinion: Turkey's coronavirus outbreak reveals Erdogan's inhumanity

Erdogan said that instead of contributing to the fight against the pandemic, journalists were "throwing up" false information and untruths and were thus more dangerous than the virus itself.

He accused the opposition media of "waging a war against their own country" and working "night and day to break the nation's morale," warning that they would "drown in their own pools of hatred and intrigues along with terrorist organizations."

The president has been repeatedly criticised for stamping on press freedom. While Turkey rose three places to 154th on thelatest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom rankings, this was attributed to "other countries falling."

'Until no critical voice is left'

Baris Yarkadas, a journalist and former parliamentarian from the Republican People's Party (CHP), the biggest opposition party in Turkey, says that the president is disturbed by independent journalists questioning the government's positive spin on its approach to coronavirus pandemic. "He sees journalists who give facts to the public as viruses that have to be destroyed," Yardakas says.

Erol Onderoglu, a representative for Reporters Without Borders, said that even though there were very few independent television stations and newspapers left in Turkey, they were a thorn in the government's side, which would continue its persecution of them "until no critical voice is left" at all.

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Watch video 02:50 Share Turkey's coronavirus response Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3aP7y Turkey faces sharp rise in coronavirus infections

Debate on coronavirus measures

According to the Turkish Health Ministry, there are currently some 86,000 cases of coronavirus in the country. For weeks, there has been a nationwide debate about the adequacy of the restrictions that have been put in place to combat the virus' spread.

Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is from the political opposition, has argued, for example, that 48-hour lockdowns such as the one last weekend are not effective.

From the start of the crisis, the government has reacted very sensitively to all criticism. Earlier this month, the president himself filed criminal complaints against Fatih Portakal, a popular host on the FOX TV station, who had posted an ironic tweet criticizing the government's campaign to raise funds to fight the coronavirus crisis. State-run media accused the journalist of "spreading lies and manipulating the public on social media."

Read more: Turkey's Pelican group: A state within a state

The existence of free and independent media in Turkey is under threat

In March, the journalists Idris Ozyol and Ebru Kucukaydin were detained and accused of causing panic in Antalya, and an injunction was sought against Mustafa Ozdemir, the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Halkin Sesi, after it was alleged that he, too, had deliberately caused panic, this time in the town of Zonguldak, and put the lives of people at risk. Ismet Cigit, the editor-in-chief of another local newspaper in Kocaeli province was arrested in the middle of the night after he had published reports critical of the government.

Authorities also launched an investigation into the journalist Nurcan Baysal after she criticized the shortage of protective masks on Twitter. She told DW that the problem now was that "journalists would censor themselves in this climate in order to avoid imprisonment."

"The state is already fueling their fear very successfully," she said.

No freedom for political prisoners

The recent early release of some 90,000 prisoners, almost a third of the country's prison population, to prevent the spread of coronavirus has also highlighted the toxic relationship between the Turkish press and the government: Journalists and political prisoners were excluded from the amnesty.

"For Erdogan, opposition media are even worse than a virus," says Erol Onderoglu from Reporters Without Borders. "The reform shows that the government sees the media more like a plague."

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2007: Abdullah Gul becomes Turkey's first Islamist president After years of free market reforms, Turkey's transition slowly begins to reverse. Islamist Abdullah Gul's candidacy as president in 2007 marks a clear shift away from secularist policies, and strains relations between the ruling AKP and the military. However, with broad support from both conservative Muslims and liberals, the AKP wins the parliamentary elections and Gul is elected president.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism September 2010: Constitutional reforms take hold Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tables a constitutional reform increasing parliamentary control of the judiciary and army, effectively allowing the government to pick judges and senior military officials. The amendment, which is combined with measures also aimed at protecting child rights and the strengthening of the right to appeal, passed by a wide margin in a public referendum.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism May 2013: Dissent erupts in Gezi Park Pent-up anger directed by young people at Erdogan, Gul and the Islamist-rooted AKP hits a boiling point in May 2013. The violent police breakup of a small sit-in aimed at protecting Istanbul's Gezi Park spurs one of the fiercest anti-government protests in years. Eleven people are killed and more than 8,000 injured, before the demonstrations eventually peter out a month later.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2015: Turkey relaunches crackdown against Kurds A fragile ceasefire deal between the Turkish government and the Kurdish rebel PKK group breaks under the weight of tensions aggravated by the war in Syria. Military forces resume operations in the mostly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. In early 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) — a breakaway PKK faction — claim responsibility for two bombings in Ankara, each killing 38 people.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2016: Military coup attempt falls short A military coup attempt against the government shakes Turkey to its core and briefly turns the country into a war zone. Some 260 civilians die in overnight clashes with the army across five major cities. Erdogan, however, rallies supporters and the following morning rebel soldiers are ambushed by thousands of civilians on the Bosporus Bridge. The troops eventually drop their guns and surrender.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism July 2016: President Erdogan enacts a state of emergency In the aftermath of the failed coup, Erdogan announces a state of emergency, leading to arrests of tens of thousands of suspected coup sympathizers and political opponents. Among those detained are military and judiciary officials and elected representatives from the pro-Kurdish HDP party. The purge is later expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism 2016: Crackdown on the press As part of Erdogan's crackdown against supposed "terrorist sympathizers," Turkey becomes one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The government shuts down around 110 media outlets in the year following the coup and imprisons more than 100 journalists, including German-Turkish correspondent Deniz Yücel.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism March 2017: AKP officials try to stoke support in Western Europe With a referendum on expanding Erdogan's presidential powers set for April 2016, AKP officials look to galvanize support among Turks living in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands forbids Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing in the country, while Germany opts to cancel two rallies. Erdogan accuses both countries of Nazi-style repression.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism April 2017: Erdogan clinches referendum vote Erdogan narrowly wins the referendum vote expanding his power. As a result, Turkey's parliamentary system is abolished in favor of a strong executive presidency. Erdogan is also allowed to remain in power potentially until 2029. However, international election monitors claim that opposition voices were muzzled and that media coverage was dominated by figures from the "yes" campaign.

Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism June 2018: Election wins secure Erdogan's power Erdogan secures a new five-year term and sweeping new executive powers after winning landmark elections on June 24. His AKP and their nationalist allies also win a majority in parliament. International observers criticize the vote, saying media coverage and emergency measures gave Erdogan and the AKP an "undue advantage" in the vote. Author: David Martin



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