Eight international press freedom groups on Thursday called on Turkey to revise laws restricting media freedom, release jailed journalists and take concrete steps to safeguard independent reporting.
In a joint statement coordinated by Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the organizations highlighted key media freedom-related concerns they said should guide negotiations between the EU and candidate countries, including Turkey.
Citing the European Commission’s recently released 2025 report on Turkey, the statement warned that overall democracy and media freedom in the country continue to backslide. It said judicial actions against journalists and media outlets have increased, often politically motivated and justified on national security grounds or claims of defamation.
The statement also criticized the 2022 Disinformation Law and the newly adopted Cybersecurity Law for vague provisions, which it said enable censorship and surveillance.
Media ownership remains heavily concentrated among pro-government business groups, while the country’s broadcast regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), continues to impose fines on independent and opposition media outlets, further weakening media pluralism.
Financial sustainability for independent and minority media is also under threat, due to the selective allocation of public advertising and control over print distribution.
Online freedom is also restricted, with authorities frequently blocking access to critical websites, news articles, social media accounts and occasionally shutting down or throttling platforms during protests or crises.
Against this backdrop, the organizations urged the European Commission to push for reforms that strengthen the rule of law, democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms.
The signatories of the statement were the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Article 19 Europe, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the International Press Institute (IPI), Centro per la Cooperazione Internazionale (CCI) and Osservatorio Balcani e Caucoso Transeuropa (OBCT).
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 28 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was further pointed out in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where it was ranked 159th out of 180 nations.
