International Press Institute (IPI)

🚫 Yayın durdurma kararları, milyonlarca liralık para cezaları... Türkiye'nin bağımsız medya kanallarına baskı... 9–19 Temmuz’da SZC TV, RTÜK’ün 10 günlük yayın yasağı kararıyla ekran kararttı. Hemen birkaç hafta öncesinde ise benzer bir ceza HALK TV’ye verilmişti. Mahkeme yürütmeyi durdurmuş olsa da Halk TV’nin de ekranını karartma tehdidi geçerliliğini koruyor. ⚠️ Cezaların nedeni, “halkı kin ve düşmanlığa teşvik etmek” ve bu ihlalin bir yıl içinde tekrarlanması durumunda haber kanallarının yayın lisansları tamamen iptal edilebilir. 2025’in ilk yarısında RTÜK televizyon kanallarına toplamda 46 yaptırım uyguladı. Bunların 42’si muhalif medya kuruluşlarını hedef alırken verilen para cezalarının toplamı 80 milyon TL’den fazlaydı. 📢 Apaçık Radyo’nun karasal yayın lisansının iptal edilmesinden bu yana verilen cezalar endişe verici bir boyuta ulaştı. Yoruma açık yasalardan faydalanan RTÜK, dozunu giderek artırdığı yaptırımlarıyla eleştirel gazeteciliği baskı altına alıyor ve kamusal tartışma alanını daraltıyor. IPI, kısıtlayıcı müdahalelere maruz kalan medya kuruluşlarının yanında olmaya ve gelişmeleri izlemeye devam edecek. İllüstrasyonlar için aslı alpar'a teşekkürler. #basınözgürlüğü #GazetecilikSuçDeğildir #RTÜK #ifadeözgürlüğü #medyaözgürlüğü #bağımsızmedya

Join us for this hybrid event on Thursday, July 24, where we will deliberate on climate disinformation and the role of the media. This event is part of several initiatives being undertaken by IPI and partners ahead of the M20 summit. Follow the link for registration details.

United States: IPI expresses deep alarm over the cancellation of $1.1 billion budgeted for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds the U.S. public broadcasters NPR and PBS. The passage of the bill demanded by President Trump marks the latest development in the administration’s targeting of the news media. The cancellation poses a particular threat to rural news stations which rely on CPB grants and other federal funding. Full statement:

Following the recent Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, Kenya, IPI calls on Ministers to recognize climate and environmental journalism as a critical component of national and international climate action strategies. Journalists play a significant role in informing the public, holding governments and businesses accountable, and driving meaningful action and policy responses.

#Georgia: Authorities’ decision to seize the bank accounts of independent media Gazeti Batumelebi and Netgazeti ahead of the verdict in the criminal trial of their co-founder Mzia Amaghlobeli is another clear front in the government’s authoritarian campaign of pressure against them. ⚠️Gazeti Batumelebi and Netgazeti are widely respected media outlets, often reporting on human rights violations and corruption, serving the public with impartial, trustworthy news since their founding 25 years ago. 📢The seizure dramatically ramps up pressure on these outlets ahead of the verdict in the criminal trial against Amaghlobeli, who has been unjustly held in pretrial detention since her arrest on January 12, during which time her health and eyesight has deteriorated. 🗨️In a statement on its website, Batumelebi condemned the action and said the real motive “appears to be an attempt to shut down the media organisation” and that it represented “direct pressure” on Amaghlobeli to make her give up ahead of the court verdict. It added that the order had been applied in a selective and discriminatory manner, pointing out that pro-government media which owe far greater sums have not received such repayment orders. 💬“We strongly condemn what is clearly a campaign by authorities against Batumelebi and Netgazeti – first with disproportionate criminal charges against their co-founder and now by seizing their bank accounts”, Amy Brouillette, IPI Director of Advocacy, said. “The IPI global network stands by Batumelebi and Netgazeti and Mzia Amaglobeli and calls on authorities to cease its campaign of harassment.” ➡️Read our full statement here -

#Hungary: IPI welcomes news of the arrest by law enforcement of an individual in Budapest suspected of carrying out powerful DDoS cyberattacks against the website of IPI and multiple independent news outlets in Hungary in 2023 and 2024. 🚨Earlier today, the Hungarian National Investigation Bureau’s Cybercrime Investigation Unit announced that they had raided the home of a 23-year-old man suspected of carrying out the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and confiscated numerous digital devices. 💻Police said the man, whose identity has not been revealed, is the cyberattacker known as Hano, who was identified as coordinating attacks on media websites in Hungary, as well as IPI. He was arrested and questioned on 9 July on suspicion of the crime of information system or data breach, according to authorities. 🗨️Welcoming the arrest, IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said: “We await further details on the investigation and planned charges, and we urge authorities to clearly identify the motive behind these attacks as well as to fully and transparently investigate whether any external coordination or funding was involved in these targeted attacks on independent media and civil society.” 👇Read our full statement

#EU: Following the publication of the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law report, IPI today joins our partner organisations in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in calling on the EU to act on the alarming findings to bolster its defence of media freedom and independent journalism across the bloc. As media freedom across the European Union and candidate countries continues its overall deterioration, the findings of the report must now act as the foundation for sustained action to safeguard EU values and push for strong implementation of the upcoming European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). Read our full analysis here -

United States: IPI welcomes the temporary restraining order issued by a U.S. court barring the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from undertaking a range of actions limiting the press’s right to report, including detention, access restrictions, and the use of projectiles against reporters. This ruling comes in the wake of widespread violations of journalists’ rights while covering protests in Los Angeles. We call on law enforcement authorities in Los Angeles to fully respect the media’s right to freely and safely cover public-interest news. Full statement:

🎉 Registration OPEN for UNCOVERED, the annual conference of the #IJ4EU fund! ⚠️ No reg. fee, but places are limited. ➡️ Register today and see you in Athens! 👉 Taking place on Sept. 25, this year’s event will be hosted by the iMEdD - incubator for Media Education and Development. https://buff.ly/ZK25QW5

#Greece: Despite some positive reforms in recent years, far greater urgency is still needed by Greek authorities in improving the overall climate for #mediafreedom. 🗨️IPI joins media freedom and journalist organisations in publishing an open letter to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis requesting written information on the Greek government’s upcoming plans to undertake meaningful reforms to address ongoing media freedom concerns in the country. 📣The letter also outlines a number of reforms required to improve the worrying climate for media freedom in the country, as part of the Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter Campaign. 👇Read the letter in full