Speaking to Frankfurter Rundschau, Engin Sağ described the pressure on the media during the AKP rule. Stating that a thousand journalists have been imprisoned, 11 thousand journalists have been fired and hundreds of media outlets have been shut down in Turkey in the last 20 years, Sağ said that Turkey has fallen to 149th place in the press freedom index.

Engin Sağ stated that freedom of information is restricted in Turkey and that 63 journalists are still imprisoned, and underlined that restrictions on the press are reflected in economic figures. Speaking about the activities of our association, Sağ said the following: “International Journalists Association, founded by exiled journalists, works against the oppression and unlawful practices against the media not only in Turkey but also around the world. We try to be the voice of all journalists and media workers. In this context, we prepare reports and fight for media freedom on various platforms.”