Turkish authorities detained two journalists over their professional activities and imposed publication and broadcast bans at least 11 times in January, the Artı Gerçek news website reported, citing a monthly report by the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG).
DFG said five journalists faced new investigations and six were sentenced to a total of seven years, nine months in prison.
The number of journalists in prisons stood at 53 at the end of the month, according to the report. The figure included DFG co-chair Dicle Müftüoğlu, who was ordered to be kept behind bars at the second hearing of her trial on January 18.
The report also noted the alleged mistreatment of one journalist and threats against four others.
Online censorship also continued at full pace, with access bans imposed on two websites, 141 news articles and 238 social media posts.
It is common for journalists in Turkey, which has a poor record on freedom of the press, to face threats, physical attacks and legal harassment due to their work.
Rights groups routinely accuse the Turkish government of trying to keep the press under control by imprisoning journalists, eliminating media outlets, overseeing the purchase of media brands by pro-government conglomerates and using regulatory authorities to exert financial pressure, especially after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan survived a failed coup in July 2016.
Turkey ranks 165th in the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) 2023 World Press Freedom Index among 180 countries, dropping 16 places and ranking not far from North Korea, which occupies the bottom of the list.
