In Turkey, TV journalist Sedef Kabas was remanded in custody for insulting the president when she quoted a Turkish proverb on a TV set. Associations for the defense of journalists and denounce a desire ” bullying » ; more than 200 journalists have already been prosecuted in Turkey for eight years.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Cherry Sudry-Le Dû
” If an ox enters a palace, that does not make him a king. This makes the palace a stable. On Friday evening, January 21, on the set of Tele1, an opposition television channel in Turkey, journalist Sedef Kabas recites a Turkish proverb and also posts it on Twitter.
It was enough to annoy the government prodigiously. She was taken into police custody overnight for insulting the president, a sentence that can earn her up to four years in prison.
” I condemn this arrogance, this lack of morality in the strongest terms. This is not only immoral but also irresponsible “Reacted the spokesperson for the Head of State, Fahrettin Altun on Twitter.
More and more muzzled voices
But many indignant voices have since risen to condemn the arrest of the journalist. Reporters Without Borders for example recalled that 200 journalists have been prosecuted since Recep Tayyip Erdogan became president in 2014.
In the same weekend, ultra-popular singer Sezen Aksu was also targeted by the government for an old song in which she called Adam and Eve ignorant. The government has indicated that it is their duty to prevent him from speaking, if necessary in “ cutting out his tongue “.
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