Reporters without Borders criticizes Turkey for prosecuting journalists on terrorism charges

NEWS DESK

Reporters without Borders said in its annual report on Tuesday that Turkey ranks the first in the number of detained professional correspondents with 33 journalists in the prisons.

The report criticized the tyrannical regime of Turkey because of the method of its frightening trials which accuses the journalists of terrorism against the backdrop of a single word or a telephone according to AFP.

In Turkey, three journalists at 65, 68 and 74 were sentenced to life imprisonment under the most extreme conditions of isolation and without the hope of a temporary release or amnesty. The report said it was inhuman.

The organization said that the hatred fueled by unscrupulous politicians has caused a large rise in the number of journalists killed in 2018.

According to the report, 80 journalists have been killed around the world so far in 2018, while 348 others are in prisons along with 60 others who are being held as hostages.

Christoph Delaware, the organization's head said, "Violence against journalists has reached unprecedented levels and the situation is now serious. The dislike of journalists by politicians, religious leaders and businessmen sometimes in an explicit form is reflected in this disturbing increase."

He added, "Expressing hatred legitimizes the violence and thus undermines journalism and democracy itself."

According to the report, Afghanistan is the most dangerous country to the journalists in the world after 15 journalists were killed in 2018, followed by Syria (11) and Mexico (9).

The annual report of the organization mentioned that the toll of non-professional journalists rose from 7 in 2017 to 13 in 2018.

A.H

ANHA