Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Monday, 6 June 2011.

Turkey

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Turkey following the report by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe that 57 journalists are in prison there.

Answer: The Minister for Europe, my right honourable friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) raised the issue of the arrests of journalists in Turkey in his meeting with Egemen Bagis, Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator, on 31 March 2011. The EU made a statement on 10 March 2011 expressing its concerns about the number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey and urging Turkey to fulfil its commitments to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on media freedom. The OSCE made a statement on 4 April 2011 following the publication of its report on the matter. No further representations have been made since by the Government. Our embassy in Ankara regularly raises issues relating to the freedom of the media in the context of wider discussions on human rights with its Turkish counterparts.

Secondary information