RSF Sued for Harming Turkish Ex-Army Chief

A complaint by Turkeys former armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Hüseyin Kivrikoglu, that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) harmed his public image will be heard by a Paris court on 16 October.

Paris

A complaint by Turkey's former armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Hüseyin Kivrikoglu, that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) "harmed his public image" will be heard by a Paris court on 16 October.

Kivrikoglu says he was denigrated by his inclusion among 38 photos of "predators of press freedom" around the world that Reporters Without Borders displayed in the main hall of the Saint-Lazare railway station in Paris on World Press Freedom Day last 3 May.

"This suit is yet another abuse of the law to protect people's image," said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. "Such legal devices deprive the public of a serious debate about press freedom in Turkey."

The presence of Kivrikoglu's picture in the exhibition, which was to protest against the immunity too often enjoyed by powerful people in crimes against journalists and press freedom, sparked a protest in his favour during the exhibition as well as indignation in Turkey itself.

More than 50 journalists were prosecuted in Turkey last year for what they wrote. Despite democratic reforms launched to help Turkey's application to join the European Union, the situation has not significantly improved this year.

Four journalists are currently in prison for having put out news and publications deemed by the authorities to be threats to public order or the unity of the state. Journalists who dare to mention taboo subjects such as the power of the army, the Kurdish problem or the demands of Islamic fundamentalists are constantly targeted.

Kivrikoglu's case will be heard by the 17th division of the main civil court in Paris at 2 p.m. on 16 October. (NM)