MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye

B10‑0099/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye

(2024/2856(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Türkiye,

– having regard to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, which ranks Türkiye 158th out of 180 countries,

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas, on 6 May, 2023, Bülent Mumay, a Turkish journalist and coordinator of the Istanbul bureau of Deutsche Welle Turkish editorial office was sentenced to 20 months in prison for social media posts about a pro-government company’s seizure of Istanbul Municipality’s subway funds; whereas his appeal was rejected, leaving the sentence upheld;

B. whereas, on August 20, 2024, the Istanbul 26th Regional Court, acting as an appeals court, upheld the sentence and also ordered the Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block access to news reports about the upheld prison sentence;

C. whereas, the verdict, coupled with repeated censorship, demonstrates the escalating pressure on press freedom in Türkiye and Bülent Mumay’s case not being an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of judicial harassment and censorship targeting Türkiye’s independent media;

D. whereas Türkiye, as an EU candidate country, is required to uphold the highest standards of democracy, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and the universal right to a fair trial, and strict respect for the principle of presumption of innocence and the right to due process;

1. Strongly condemns the imprisonment and suspension sentence against Bülent Mumay, which is a thinly veiled attempt to silence critical journalism; calls on the Turkish authorities to immediately release Bülent Mumay, and all arbitrary detained media workers and journalists;

2. Is deeply concerned for the deterioration of democratic standards in Türkiye, relentless crackdown on any critical voice, independent media and freedom of expression, particularly around the election periods, and ongoing harassment on press freedom and freedom of expression in Türkiye; deplores the fact that the Turkish Government, with a number of laws, including the 2020 social media law, the 2021 anti-money laundering law and the 2022 disinformation law, has built a complex web of legislation serving as a tool to systematically control and silence journalists;

3. Calls on the EU to take restrictive measures against individuals involved in artificial persecution of journalists under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime;

4. Underlines that if not addressed, the deteriorating human rights situation in Türkiye could hamper the “Positive EU-Türkiye agenda” proposed by the European Council;

5. Calls on the EEAS to adequately support the EU Delegation to Türkiye in intensifying trial observation of detained journalists and media workers, in coordination with representations of EU Member States and like-minded countries, and raising their cases with the authorities at all levels;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the  Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the President, Government and Parliament of Türkiye.