Media freedom in Turkey

Shortly after the U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters that he informed Turkish President Tayyip Erdo?an that the Turkish government's "approach toward the press is one that could lead Turkey down a path that would be very troubling," Erdo?an said the issue did not come up during their 50-minute one-on-one meet on March 31, in Washington D.C.

Germany's ambassador to Turkey has defended his attendance at the controversial trial of two Turkish journalists charged with espionage, while stating that the reason for his summoning to the Turkish Foreign Ministry was not his attendance but rather his photo from the courtroom shared on social media.

Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül appeared in Istanbul's Ça?layan courthouse for the second hearing of their controversial case on April 1, with the court again ruling not to arrest them for the duration of the trial. 

Prominent Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül have appeared in Istanbul's Ça?layan courthouse for the second hearing of an "espionage" trial which followed the duo's reports for daily Cumhuriyet about Turkish intelligence trucks transporting hidden weapons to Syria in November 2014. 

The participation of a collection of Western consuls-general at the opening session of the Can Dündar-Erdem Gül court case, which has become a symbol on the limits of press freedom in Turkey, has placed a big question mark on the country's relations with the West. In many European and American publications there is a search for an answer to a vital question: Can Turkey still be a member of NATO

The second hearing of the controversial trial of two prominent Turkish journalists, Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, will be held on April 1, following the first hearing on March 25 where the court ruled the whole trial to be held in secret.

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an personally expresses the need to open up to foreign countries. He has said, "The aim of the terror attacks is to make Turkey withdraw inward." 

To become introverted is negative because it would block Turkey and stop it from reaching its 2023 targets. The 2023 targets are at stake. 

Press freedom is non-negotiable for Germany in its talks with Turkey, a German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on March 30, responding to questions after Turkey summoned Germany's ambassador over a satirical video broadcast in Germany. 

This is from an editorial in The Guardian's March 19, 1927 issue, titled "Turkish newspaper editors jailed over cartoon":

The attendance of Western diplomats at the Can Dündar-Erdem Gül hearing on March 25 apparently raised so many eyebrows that President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an even complained about them during his visit to the war academy, where he was addressing officers. But then again, this may be another game he is playing.