Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état
| Date | From July 16th, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Location | Turkey |
| Type | Shutdown of media and journalists arrests |
| Theme | Freedom of Press |
| Cause | Alleged pro-coupists |
| Organised by | Erdogan's government |
| Arrest(s) | 117 journalists |
| Convicted | 35 journalists |
| Charges | Membership in a terror group |
| Publication bans | 131 media outlets |
Turkey's media purge after the failed coup d'état on July 15, 2016 resulted in the shutdown of at least 131 media outlets and the arrest of 117 journalists – at least 35 of whom have been indicted for "membership in a terror group".
In the wake of the attempted putsch, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government closed down media companies linked to exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen and his Hizmet Movement. Turkey's General Directorate for Press, Broadcasting, and Information also revoked at least 620 journalists' accreditations.
As a result of the crackdown, 2,308 media workers and journalists have lost their job. Turkey's media purge has also occurred online: regulators blocked at least 30 news-related websites. Websites not linked to Gülen's movement, such as and the Turkish satirical weekly Leman, are among those blocked inside Turkey. In addition 48 online news stories from outlets including The Independent have been censored. Three stories were about corruptions allegations involving the president's son Bilal Erdogan. In addition .
On Thursday July 21, six days after the failed coup d’état, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill declaring a state of emergency allowing the government to rule by decree for three months. On the same day, Erdogan announced that the European Convention on Human Rights had been suspended.
Under the Turkish constitution, during a state of emergency, the government can overturn the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms, as long as it respects international laws. However, the 15th article of the Turkish Constitution states that the ECHR cannot be suspended.
In this context and that of a a wider purge in Turkey with 40,000 arrests and 160,000 suspensions of officials, President Erdogan initiated a purge of media and journalists suspected of sympathy with the Gülen movement. On July 27th, Erdogan published a decree in Turkey's official government gazette, ordering the shutdown of three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishing houses (see list below).
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