OSCE urges Turkey to drop prosecution of Turkish Cypriot reporters

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir has called on Ankara to drop its prosecution against two journalists of the Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika for insulting the country.

“I am very concerned over the judicial action initiated by the Turkish prosecution against Turkish Cypriot journalists,” Desir said in a letter to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

“Threatening journalists with criminal lawsuits for their work weakens pluralistic debate in societies… The right to freedom of expression encompasses views that may offend, shock, and disturb,” he added.

Afrika editor-in-chief Sener Levent and journalist Ali Osman, face criminal charges for publishing articles critical of Turkey on 21 January and 1 February.

Afrika, based in north Nicosia, has been under significant pressure for an extensive period of time.

Desir mentioned the attack against Levent and the newspaper’s offices on 22 January saying, “violence and intimidation of journalists is unacceptable”.

“It is essential for the public authorities to refrain from initiating lawsuits against journalists for their work, including when they express differing views on sensitive affairs. I urge them to drop the lawsuits against Levent and Osman,” Desir said.

Earlier this week Nicosia called on the OSCE and the EU to defend free speech by supporting the two Turkish Cypriot journalists being prosecuted by Turkey for defamation.

Government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said Nicosia sought the intervention of the OSCE to defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the north.

He said there was concern over the prevailing climate of intimidation, especially the attempt to prosecute Levent and Osman in Turkey.

Prodromou said that Brussels and the European Parliament were closely monitoring the situation.

“They are citizens of an EU member state, of whom a third country has no jurisdiction,” said Prodromou.

Afrika came under attack in January, after declaring “yet another invasion” by Turkey, following its assault on Afrin in Syria. The newspaper likened Turkey’s military offensive in Syria to its military occupation of Cyprus northern third where Ankara has 35,000 troops stationed since 1974.

Reportedly, Levent and Osman were recently summoned to testify in a case filed in Ankara against them over the “insulting” headline criticising Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 collapsed in acrimony.

Afrika columnist Osman said he and editor-in-chief Levent did nothing wrong and have refused to cooperate with authorities.