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ANKARA: The new year brought a new wave of censorship for Turkish media, signaling tough days ahead for independent journalism in the country.
On Thursday, prosecutors requested a sentence of up to 158 years in jail for Baris Pehlivan and Baris Terkoglu — the editor-in-chief and news director, respectively, of dissident news site Oda-TV — who face multiple charges related to their newly published book on Turkish domestic politics.
The two journalists are currently facing 14 separate investigations for criminal complaints mainly filed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s lawyers over claims made in the book.
Pehlivan and Terkoglu were on trial last year for charges relating to their report on the funeral of a Turkish spy who was killed in Libya. In that case, the prosecutors asked for 63 and 95 years of imprisonment respectively. 
During another trial in September, in which the two journalists were accused of exposing an intelligence officer’s identity — which had already been revealed by a Turkish lawmaker during a parliamentary speech — Terkoglu was acquitted of all charges, while Pehlivan was released from custody pending an appeal.
“I am unhappy on behalf of my country, in the name of the law, but I am at the same time happy that it served as proof of the claims in my book,” Pehlivan told the press after Thursday’s hearing.
The co-authored book has drawn the ire of the government as it focuses mainly on the way in which various religious communities have been absorbed into the state apparatus and judiciary sphere.
“It is a historical turning point in terms of freedom of speech,” said defense lawyer Rusen Gultekin on Thursday.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Erdogan targeted a newspaper that has been critical of the government.
“I do not read Sozcu newspaper. Nobody buys it,” he said to the press after leaving Friday prayers. “Hagia Sophia was the coronated star of 2020,” he continued, referring to the newspaper’s coverage of the re-opening of the historical Hagia Sophia mosque for prayers.
The Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC) released a press statement on Thursday, saying that Turkish citizens were deprived of their right to information in 2020.
“We hope that the obstacles to freedom of speech and (a free) media will be removed this year and that the journalists will be able to … reflect the truth,” the statement said.
Turkey has one of the world’s highest numbers of journalists in prison, and ranks 154th out of 180 countries for media freedom according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
Olay TV, a private Turkish TV station that broadcast opposition views, was recently pressured into shutting down after just 26 days, leaving 160 people without jobs.
According to a new survey, “Dimensions of Polarization in Turkey (2020),” conducted by Istanbul Bilgi University and German Marshall Fund of the United States, only one fifth of Turkish citizens trust media outlets. More than 90 percent of Turkey’s mainstream media is now controlled by conglomerates with close links to the government.
Last week, an Istanbul Court sentenced Can Dundar, an exiled journalist living in Germany, to 18 years and nine months in prison over espionage charges, and eight years and nine months for “aiding a terrorist organization without being a member.”
On Dec. 10, Ufuk Ceri, a journalist working for the independent news network Medyascope, was arrested while covering a protest by workers who had lost their jobs at an airline company owned by family members of Turkey’s tourism minister. Ceri was released without charges.
In November, Erdogan announced plans to reform Turkey’s legal system to improve human rights in the country. But no substantial steps have so far been taken to extend freedom of expression in the media.