Resolution on the case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew, Greens/EFA, the Left groups.

On 6 May  2023, Bülent Mumay, a Turkish journalist and coordinator of the Istanbul bureau of Deutsche Welle’s 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 during the AKP administration. His appeal was rejected, and his tweets removed.

Parliament condemned the sentence against Bülent Mumay, which follows a broader pattern of silencing critical journalism. It called on the Turkish authorities to drop the charges against Bülent Mumay, and all arbitrarily detained media workers and journalists, as well as political opponents, human rights defenders, civil servants and academics.

Deeply concerned about the ongoing deterioration of democratic standards in Türkiye and by the relentless crackdown on any critical voices, Members deplored the fact that, the Turkish Government, through a number of laws, has built a complex web of legislation serving as a tool to systematically control and silence journalists. They are highly concerned about the new ‘foreign agent regulation’ to be introduced by the end of 2024.

Parliament continued to condemn the lack of independence of the prosecution and judiciary and the political instrumentalisation of the judicial system in Türkiye. It called on the Turkish authorities to restore judicial independence, respect press freedom and ensure compliance with international human rights obligations.