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IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE – TURKEY

23 July 2004

IPA concerned about dangers threatening publishers in lead up to
consideration of Turkey’s membership in the EU

SOURCE: International Publishers’ Association (IPA), Geneva

**Updates IFEX alert of 15 June 2004**

(IPA/IFEX) – The following is a 19 July 2004 IPA press release:

NGOs meet Commissioner Verheugen on Turkey

The International Publishers Association (IPA) is deeply concerned
about the dangers that threaten Turkish publishers when pursuing their
profession. “We call upon the Turkish authorities to implement the
many reforms that were passed. Implementation is key and must not
surrender to bureaucratic conservatism or any other hurdle,” says
Ana-Maria Cabanellas, President of the IPA.

On 15 July 2004, eight international NGOs met with Enlargement
Commissioner Günter Verheugen in Brussels to discuss the progress made
by Turkey in the field of Human Rights.

The Commission will issue a recommendation this September on whether
EU member states should start membership negotiations with Turkey in
December 2004 or not. It is indeed in December that Heads of States
and Governments will decide on this. They have already indicated that
they would follow the recommendation issued by the Commission.

The IPA recalled that last year 43 books were banned and 37 writers
and 17 publishers were put on trial. To date in 2004, at least 15
books have been banned in Turkey.

While welcoming the legislative and constitutional changes in Turkey,
the IPA expressed its three main concerns: 1. the legal impediments to
the practice of the right to freedom of expression in Turkey; 2. the
current tendency of Turkish Security Courts to harass writers,
journalists and publishers by putting them on trial more and more
often, fining them or just postponing their trials indefinitely;
3. the lack of implementation of legal reforms regarding freedom of
expression.

Lars Grahn, Chairman of IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee, says, “The
six following taboos are obvious hurdles to freedom of expression and
to publishing in Turkey: Position of the Military, Kurdish Question,
Armenian Genocide, Kemalism, Women’s Liberation and Islamic
Law. Treating writers, journalists and publishers as potential
terrorists or criminals and judging them in the same courts as drug
traffickers and/or real terrorists is unacceptable.”

For further information, contact IPA, 3, avenue de Miremont, Ch-1206,
Geneva, Switzerland, tel: +41 22 346 30 18, fax: +41 22 347 57 17,
e-mail: krikorian@ipa-uie.org, secretariat@ipa-uie.org, Internet:

The information contained in this press release/update is the sole
responsibility of IPA. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit IPA.