BRUSSELS – The European Union yesterday warned Turkey that a heavy jail sentence imposed on journalist Can Dundar harms both human rights in the country and Ankara’s relations with Brussels.
A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced the exiled former editor-in-chief of the respected Cumhuriyet daily to more than 27 years behind bars on espionage and terror charges.
Dundar fled to Germany in 2016 after a failed coup that the Turkish government blames on US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.
“The EU has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns about continued negative developments with regard to the rule of law, fundamental rights, and the judiciary in Turkey,” said a statement issued by the bloc’s external affairs arm.
“The decision of a Turkish court to sentence journalist Can Dundar for what is his fundamental right to freedom of expression, and (businessman) Osman Kavala’s continuous pretrial detention, go, regrettably, in the opposite direction.
“As a candidate (member) country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Turkey urgently needs to make concrete and sustained progress in respect of fundamental rights, which are a cornerstone of EU-Turkey relations.”
Ties between the EU and Turkey have been badly strained over a host of issues in recent years, and Brussels was notably critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh post-coup crackdown.
There are regular exchanges, especially over human rights, that Ankara says reflect EU double standards and amount to interference in its internal affairs.
Turkey’s EU membership application, meanwhile, has stalled amid the acrimony. – AFP, December 26, 2020
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