National Press Club to examine crackdown on press in Turkey Jan 27

In the wake of the Turkish government’s December arrests of a large number of opposition journalists and media executives, the National Press Club’s Freedom of the Press Committee is convening a panel to examine repression of the media in Turkey.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the club’s conference rooms. Attendance is free for club members and costs $5 for non-members. Register here.

In mid-December, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the arrest of more than 31 people, including a large number of journalists and senior managers affiliated with media outlets supportive of Erdogan’s rival, the U.S.-based-Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen. In 2014, Reporters Without Borders documented 117 incidents of attacks and threats against journalists in Turkey. For a time in 2013, the Erdogan government had more journalists imprisoned than any other country in the world.

Confirmed panelists are:


  • Tolga Tanis, Washington correspondent for Hurriyet

  • Sevgi Akarcesme, columnist for Zaman Daily

  • Delphine Halgand, U.S. director for Reporters Without Borders

  • Kemal Kirisci, TUSIAD Senior Fellow, Brookings

The moderator is John M. Donnelly, chairman of the Freedom of the Press Committee and senior defense writer at CQ Roll Call.

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. Founded in 1908, it is located in Washington, D.C. Through its Press Freedom Committee, the National Press Club speaks out on behalf of press freedom and transparency worldwide.