Media freedom in Turkey

One of Turkey's most prominent contemporary novelists and an internationally prominent linguist who has also made widely praised translations of Western novels into Turkish were released on probation on Dec. 29 after being arrested on charges of "making terrorist propaganda" for daily Özgür Gündem, which was closed in August on terrorism charges.

Lawyers for daily Cumhuriyet have filed separate, individual applications to the Constitutional Court on behalf of 10 journalists and managers who have been under arrest on terror charges in Istanbul's Silivri prison for 59 days, the daily reported on Dec. 28.

Arrested Author Aslı Erdoğan and lingiust Necmiye Alpay, meanwhile, will appear before judge for the first time. 

A deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has asked in a parliamentary question why the canteen manager of the daily Cumhuriyet was arrested after he allegedly said he would not serve tea to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan if he came to the newspaper's offices. 

Some 60,000 individual applications have been made to Turkey's Constitutional Court since the July 15 coup attempt, the court's president, Zühtü Arslan, said Dec. 19.  

This is not the story of the overcoat of the impoverished government clerk in 19th century Russian writer Nikolai Gogol's masterpiece "The Overcoat."

This is the story of the overcoat of a Turkish journalist in prison.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Dec. 15 accused Turkey of "silencing" independent media after the failed July 15 coup attempt.

In a report, the U.S.-based rights watchdog said Turkey's assault on critical journalism began several years ago and had steadily sharpened since 2014, accelerating further since the attempted takeover.

World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say is expected to receive the Beethoven Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards given by the Bonn-based Beethoven Academy, on Dec. 17. 

A Turkish prosecutor assigned to terror cases escaped unharmed late on Dec. 7 after unknown assailants fired on his car in Istanbul's Sultangazi district.

Turkish novelist Aslı Erdoğan, arrested in August on terror charges as part of the investigation into closed daily Özgür Gündem, is at risk of being paralyzed while in jail, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Utku Çakırözer has said. 

The arrested staff of daily Cumhuriyet have demanded that their indictment be prepared as soon as possible in the hopes that they can be tried without arrest, said opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Utku Çakırözer, who visited the journalists in Istanbul's Silivri jail, the daily reported Nov. 25.