If you make a statement online that criticises the Turkish government, or President Erdoğan in particular, you can be handcuffed at the airport.
Even ‘likes’ on social networks, which are a fundamental right of freedom of expression in Germany, can be sufficient grounds for an investigation in Turkey.
Journalism is treated as a crime in Turkey. Independent and even critical reporting is no longer possible. Freedom of the press seems to have become a foreign word for the Turkish government and state institutions.
Turkey is still one of the most popular holiday destinations for Germans. According to a recent study by the Allensbach Institute, more people travelled to Turkey this year than to Croatia, Greece or France. Turkey is a beautiful country: It is rich in culture and scenery, its cuisine is uniquely delicious, its people are hospitable. And flights to Turkey can sometimes be found for under €50 return.
But for many people, Turkey is not a holiday destination. They cannot even go on business trips with a clear conscience. At best they face deportation, at worst imprisonment without the possibility of a fair trial under the rule of law. The group of journalists is particularly affected. It is enough to have made a statement on the Internet criticising the Turkish government, or President Erdoğan in particular, and you can be handcuffed at the airport.
This is not an illusion, it is a real danger! On its website, the German Foreign Office clearly states that there are still ‘cases’ of arbitrary detention of German citizens in Turkey. They are often suspected of propagating or supporting a (so-called) terrorist organisation. “It appears that Turkish law enforcement agencies keep detailed lists of people living in Germany who could become targets of the security forces, without even adequate preliminary investigations,” the official website of the German Foreign Office reads. Even ‘likes’ on social networks, which are a fundamental right of freedom of expression in Germany, can be sufficient grounds for an investigation in Turkey.
Then there is the new ‘law to combat disinformation’, which has been heavily criticised by the Foreign Office. According to this law, the dissemination of statements that are deemed by law enforcement authorities to be untrue and a threat to the country’s security, public order or public health can lead to criminal prosecution. Even participants in demonstrations in Germany or members of a legally registered association dealing with Kurdish issues in this country can be arrested.
Journalism is treated as a crime in Turkey. Independent and even critical reporting is no longer possible. Freedom of the press seems to have become a foreign word for the Turkish government and state institutions.
Of course, there are still some spaces where it is possible to practice journalism without arbitrary persecution. But there are also countless cases of media workers being imprisoned simply for exercising their profession. For example, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently mentioned the journalist Ahmet Altan. At a cultural evening entitled ‘Exile’ at Bellevue Palace, Steinmeier used Altan as an example of all those imprisoned in Turkey or not allowed to leave the country.
Although the ceremony was dedicated to exiles around the world, Turkey played a recurring role in the President’s speech, for example when he mentioned Aslı Erdoğan. Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Asli Erdoğan is one of Turkey’s most internationally recognised writers. She was arrested in 2016 for her work as a columnist for the Turkish-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem. She has been living in exile in Germany since 2017.
He is not the only one. The number of people forced to leave Turkey for fear of arbitrary persecution is increasing every day. The term ‘criminal’ is hardly appropriate in this context. The European Court of Human Rights has had to point out in a number of individual cases that basic standards are not being respected in Turkey. But that does not stop the government there from insisting on violating human rights.
Now, it could be argued that a travel warning specifically for journalists is excessive. Who cares about politics when you are lying on the beach in the perfect sunshine, admiring the culture and nature, enjoying the food and drink? Anyone who thinks that should ask themselves if they have ever publicly criticised Turkey or Erdoğan.
In this country, you are free to criticise the prime minister, the president, anyone and everything, as long as you do not cross the line into insulting someone or committing a specific crime. In Turkey you cannot do that so easily. You can be thrown in jail for making an offhand remark. Maybe even in a supposedly ‘personal’ environment: a conversation on the Internet, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter)…
In Germany, it is almost inconceivable that the police and judiciary would investigate such sources and draw up “enemy lists”. In Turkey, it seems to be part of everyday life. Otherwise, the Foreign Ministry would have long since removed these explicit statements from its website.
Who is Prof. Dr. Frank Überall?
Prof. Dr. Frank Überall is the Federal President of the German Association of Journalists (DJV). He teaches at the University of Media, Communication and Economics (HMKW) in Cologne and works as a journalist for digital broadcaster KIVVON.