International Federation
for Human Rights

Of the 22 people arbitrarily detained following police raids on the houses of journalists, the office of media outlet JinNews, and two production companies in Diyarbakır on June 8, 2022, 16 journalists were arbitrarily arrested on June 16, 2022, including:
– Serdar Altan, co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG);
– Safiye Alagaş, director of the JinNews agency;
– Aziz Oruç, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) editor;
– Mehmet Ali Ertaş, Xwebûn editor-in-chief;
– Journalists Ömer Çelik, Suat Doğuhan, Ramazan Geciken, Neşe Toprak, Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Mazlum Doğan Güler, Mehmet Şahin, Elif Üngür, İbrahim Koyuncu, Remziye Temel, Abdurrahman Öncü, and Lezgin Akdeniz.

The 16 journalists were sent to Diyarbakır Prison where they were still detained at the time of publication of this Joint Statement.

Gülşen Koçuk, JinNews editor; journalists Esmer Tunç, Mehmet Yalçın and Kadir Bayram; and citizens Feynaz Koçuk and İhsan Ergülen, who were also arbitrarily detained following the operation, were released under judicial control.

The journalists were charged with “membership to an armed organisation,” after being brought to the Diyarbakır Courthouse on June 15, 2022, where they were questioned on the content of their reporting.

In addition, at 6 am on June 16, 2022, journalist İnci Hekimoğlu was detained following a police raid on her home in Izmir and released later the same day. She is charged with “terrorist propaganda” due to her social media posts.

Around the same time as the arrests in Diyarbakır took place on June 16, 2022, a problematic bill on disinformation that was under discussion at the parliamentary level passed the Parliament’s Justice Commission and will now be reviewed by the General Assembly of the Parliament. If enacted, this bill will introduce the crime of “publicly disseminating misleading information” to the Turkish Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years. Given the alarming examples of arbitrary arrest and judicial harassment of journalists mentioned above, this bill represents a serious threat to freedom of expression and particularly press freedom in Turkey. Precisely for this reason, journalists in the country strongly oppose it.

FIDH and OMCT recall that judicial harassment, including arbitrary detention, arrest and conviction of Kurdish dissidents, human rights defenders and journalists, particularly under the much-criticised anti-terrorism framework, is common practice in Turkey, as mentioned in the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Human Rights Association (İnsan Hakları Derneği – İHD)’s reports:
– A Perpetual Emergency: Attacks on Freedom of Assembly in Turkey and Repercussions for Civil Society
– Turkey’s Civil Society on the Line: A Shrinking Space for Freedom of Association
– Drowned in Procedure, Sentenced to Fail: Administrative Harassment Against Civil Society in Turkey

FIDH and OMCT condemn the arbitrary arrest of the above-mentioned 16 journalists as well as the judicial harassment against them and other journalists in the country, as they seem to be only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression, including press freedom.

Our organisations urge the authorities in Turkey to immediately and unconditionally release all the journalists currently arbitrarily detained in the country. FIDH and OMCT further call on the authorities to ensure that all journalists in Turkey are able to carry out their legitimate work without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including judicial harassment.

Finally, our organisations express their utmost concern about the dangerous bill on disinformation and urge the authorities in Turkey to refrain from enacting it as well as to ensure, in all circumstances, the respect and protection of the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom, in the country.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is an international human rights NGO federating 192 organisations from 117 countries. Since 1922, FIDH has defended all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is the largest global NGO group actively standing up to torture and protecting human rights defenders worldwide. It has more than 200 members in 90 countries. Its international Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Calls for the murder of journalists and opinion leaders, threats and intimidation of the national press, slanderous accusations against journalists, suspension of the international media RFI and France 24, expulsion of correspondents of the French newspapers Libération and Le Monde etc. The threats to freedom of expression and freedom of the press are very alarming in Burkina Faso. The measures taken by the authorities in this country, especially in recent months, are likely to infringe upon the fundamental right to information of citizens. Freedom begins where ignorance ends.

In Mali, too, journalists and opinion leaders are increasingly subject to pressure and intimidation. From November to December 2022, the channel Joliba TV was suspended by the Haute autorité de la communication - HAC (Communications Authority) after broadcasting an editorial deemed critical of the authorities. On 20 February 2023, the Maison de la presse in Bamako was ransacked. On 13 March, radio commentator Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, better known under the pseudonym Ras Bath, was charged and imprisoned for having publicly criticised the “assassination” of former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga. On 15 March, Rokia Doumbia, known as “Rose vie chère”, was also arrested for reporting on price rises and the “failure” of the transition. On 6 April, journalist Aliou Touré was abducted by armed and hooded men and was only found free four days later.

The international press is also far from being spared. In February 2022, a reporter from Jeune Afrique was expelled from Bamako. A month later, RFI and France 24 were cut off throughout Mali.
In Burkina Faso as in Mali, these attacks are increasingly relayed on social networks by “influencers” favourable to the military regimes of these two countries, acting as vigilantes ready to threaten journalists and opinion leaders who are too independent in their eyes with death. Today, lies are added to violence. The Burkinabe daily L’Observateur Paalga reports the establishment of a “regime of terror”, accompanied by a wave of “fake news” that floods social networks with lies. The first victims of these “influencers” are the Malian and Burkinabe populations, who are deprived of a democratic discussion.

In this period of serious security crisis in these two countries, journalists, who play a crucial role in informing citizens, are all aware of their responsibilities. They also understand the complexity of the political, geopolitical and military context. They also live and suffer the serious consequences of this security crisis. Like all citizens, they want to see a rapid return to peace. However, the fight against terrorism must not be used as a pretext to impose a new standard of information and to restrict the fundamental rights of the Malian and Burkinabè populations to seek and have access to information through professional and independent media.

In Burkina Faso, the situation of journalists has become so critical that even the institution in charge of regulation is concerned. In a press release issued on 29 March 2023, the Conseil supérieur de la communication (CSC) “regretfully takes notes of the recurrence of threats against the press and media”. The CSC asks the Burkinabe authorities to “take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the media and journalists in the exercise of their profession”. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the media situation in Burkina Faso. “In this period of transition, the protection of independent voices is more necessary than ever,” he added.

On 20 February, Alioune Tine, the UN independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali, stated that he was “extremely concerned about the shrinking civic space, freedom of expression and association” in Mali.

In light of all these events, we, the signatories of this open letter,
– Urge the authorities of Mali and Burkina Faso to put an end to all measures that undermine press freedom;
– Note the lack of protection by the security forces and the silence of the judiciary in the face of the campaigns of intimidation and death threats launched against journalists in these two countries; while respecting the independence of the judiciary, we call on prosecutors and officers from the crime department to be more reactive to these acts criminal;
– Demand that the authorities in both countries guarantee the protection and safety of all media professionals who are victims of threats, intimidation, harassment and physical attacks;
– Call on the authorities to conduct impartial, effective and independent investigations to shed light on the abuses committed against journalists, identify those responsible and bring them to justice;
– Call on the two governments to respect the international obligations signed and ratified by the States regarding freedom of expression and freedom of the press, in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
– Call on national leaders and pan-African and international bodies to whom this open letter is addressed to support this initiative at the highest level: access to information is a fundamental right of peoples. On this World Press Freedom Day, it is essential to uphold and protect it.

Conflicts, political instability and information wars signify threats to freedom of the press around the world. However, FIDH has chosen to focus on the deteriorating situation of human rights defenders and journalists in Africa.

“They face repeated and increasingly violent attacks, thus hindering their legitimate work in upholding human rights and revealing the truth,” said Hassatou Ba-Minté, head of FIDH’s Africa office. “States must respect their international and regional commitments, in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

This year, FIDH and its 39 African member organisations have documented numerous cases of violations of freedom of expression. In Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, etc. random arrests and detentions are on the increase, as well as judicial harassment and violence. FIDH and its member organisations demand the release of all these human rights defenders and journalists. They also call for an immediate end to the violation of their freedom and attacks against them and to fight against the impunity of the perpetrators of these acts. In particular, FIDH renews its call for justice to be served in the case of the murder of Martinez Zogo last January. The judicial process must be completed, the perpetrators identified and punished, and the victim’s family must obtain compensation.

According to the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index 2023, on the African continent, the practice of journalism is considered difficult in almost 40% of countries and problematic in more than 45%. Despite some positive developments - Botswana has moved up 30 places to 65th in the world - the African region has some of the most significant declines. Attacks on journalists and restrictions on civic space in several Sahelian countries (Mali 113th, Burkina Faso 58th), but also increased restrictions on civic space in Senegal (104th) in the midst of elections are of particular concern.

As World Press Freedom Day celebrated its 30th anniversary, in the Chamber of the United Nations General Assembly, FIDH called on States and international actors such as the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union to strengthen the coordination of their actions and their protection mechanisms to support human rights defenders and journalists in their capacity to act in favour of human rights, justice and the rule of law. For fundamental freedoms are the foundation on which respect for human rights and the rule of law is built and it is the responsibility of states to guarantee and promote them. Freedom of the press and access to information are essential for building democratic societies.

It was from a deep awareness of these principles that the Windhoek Declaration was promulgated on 3 May 1991, following a seminar at which the ideas exchanged by African journalists and media practitioners served as a catalyst for promoting press freedom, independence and pluralism in Africa and other parts of the world. This declaration is considered a benchmark for press freedom in the world and has been the impetus for the evolution of African and international standards to affirm press freedom according to this ideal. More than 30 years after this historic step, this ideal, which has never ceased to testify to its strength and liberating potential, must be revived and materialised in practice, not in spite of, but thanks to the renewed political will of States.

London, Paris, 22 February 2024. The protracted legal persecution against Julian Assange has no end in sight. The High Court has heard over two days the arguments pleading for the possibility for Assange to appeal against his extradition to the US. Opposing the investigative journalist in the Court, is the US government, which wants him transferred to face charges of espionage. At the end of the two-day hearing that took place on 20 and 21 February, the Court gave until 4 March 2024 for the defence team to submit complementary elements before its final ruling.

For Alexis Deswaef, FIDH Vice-President, who was in the courtroom during the hearing and who gave a speech in support of Assange in front of the Court, “What meaning can freedom of the press have when revealing crimes committed by State powers is getting criminalised ? Protecting the capacity of democracies to have independent voices who can hold governments accountable is essential for the respect of international law, the defence of human rights and the fight against impunity”; before adding “ultimately the real criminals that should face prosecution are the individuals that ordered and conducted the grave human rights violations revealed by WikiLeaks. Instead so far we’re seeing total impunity for the international crimes committed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”

The protection of whistleblowers must become standard for all democracies

In spite of U.S “guarantees”, which justified the overturn of the prior decision to reject the extradition demand, Assange’s likely incarceration in a high security prison following his transfer would pose a real risk of detention conditions that could amount to ill-treatment and torture. Furthermore, on top of the 175 years sentence Assange may face, the array of charges which the US government is attempting to use against him carries the potential for the death penalty. This abhorrent punishment was called for by US officials, among which none other than former US-president, and current Republican Party candidate for the US 2024 presidential elections, Donald Trump.

FIDH calls for an end to the prosecution of Julian Assange for his involvement in Wikileaks and for his immediate liberation. On top of having contributed to the revealing of large scale grave human rights violations, the legal persecution already suffered by Assange, who has been imprisoned at HM Prison Belmarsh in London for over four years, stands as a human rights violation in and of itself. The High Court’s decision is expected after 4 March 2024, once the complementary elements have been provided by Assange’s defence team. 

25 June 2024. Five years, two months, and two weeks of detention in punitive isolation conditions, following seven years spent secluded in the Ecuadorian embassy. The judicial, diplomatic, and political saga that began in 2010, when Julian Assange, through Wikileaks, published thousands of documents on U.S. military activities, is coming to an end.

"FIDH has mobilised for Julian Assange because beyond his case, it is a matter of human rights, fundamental freedoms, freedom of expression, and the right to inform," said Maryse Artiguelong, Vice-President of FIDH. "What was at stake is the intimidation of whistleblowers and journalists worldwide. States must protect them rather than persecute them."

To secure his release, Julian Assange’s legal team negotiated a "guilty plea" arrangement with the U.S. justice system. Assange thus acknowledges guilt on one charge out of the 17 he faced, in exchange for dropping the remaining charges and serving a limited sentence of 62 months, which has already been served on the English soil. This is a standard arrangement in some jurisdictions, notably the American jurisdiction.

"The guilty plea procedure is a double-edged sword," says Alexis Deswaef, international lawyer and Vice-President of FIDH. "It allows a State to avoid losing face while guaranteeing the release of the accused. However, let us be very clear: it in no way prejudges the actual guilt of Julian Assange, whose release we welcome. It is likely that, like other rights defenders, this procedure will be used against him in the future, we are under no illusions."

FIDH has followed Assange’s case and lent its support on numerous occasions, in particular before the European Commission, the European Parliament and more recently, in February 2024, in London on the occasion of his hearing before the High Court to decide whether or not to allow him to appeal against his extradition to the United States. Lawyer Alexis Deswaef spoke in public and to the media on this occasion.

Alexis Deswaef continues, "This case illustrates the whole problem of impunity: the American soldiers and those who gave the orders that we saw commit war crimes in Iraq have never been questioned, while Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, the whistleblowers who have been deprived of their freedom, have lost many years of their lives, not to mention their physical and mental health. On the one hand, there is an obvious moral problem, and on the other, there is a challenge to the rule of law in our democracies, which allows serious violations committed by the armed forces to go unpunished".

FIDH denounces the use of the Espionage Act, a U!S. law dating from 1917, to prosecute Julian Assange. It remains in force and could be used against other rights defenders in the future.