'Press Freedom Award' finds its owners: Awards for Onlar TV, Merdan Yanardağ, and Tele2 workers

Cumhuriyet reports on the "Press Freedom Award" ceremony, an event that underscores the critical state of journalism in Turkey. Held on World Press Freedom Day, the awards recognized individuals and organizations like Onlar TV, Merdan Yanardağ, and Tele2 workers, who are seen as standing firm in the face of increasing pressure. The ceremony served as a stark reminder of the challenges confronting the press in Turkey, as highlighted by Press Council President Pınar Türenç. Her opening remarks laid bare the grim reality: Turkey's ranking in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) index has plummeted from 99th in 2002 to 163rd in 2023, placing it in the "very serious situation" category, below Sudan and Iraq. This decline is not merely a statistic; it represents a systematic effort to silence critical voices. Türenç rightly asserted that 'a journalist is not an organization, a journalist is not a spy,' pushing back against the narrative that often frames journalists as threats. The legal system itself is being weaponized, as noted by jurist Dr. Kerem Altıparmak, who pointed to cases where basic conditions for charges are not met, illustrating how law is used as a tool of repression. Former ECHR judge Rıza Türmen eloquently described how authoritarian regimes invariably target the press, the 'watchdog,' as their first move. The awards, therefore, are not just accolades but acts of solidarity with those who continue to report the truth, even from within prison walls, as symbolized by the 'butterfly and fire' metaphor used by writer Barış Terkoğlu.

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