HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 17

(By Delegate Walters)

Expressing concern about the erosion of Freedom of the Press in the Republic of Turkey.

            Whereas, The West Virginia House of Delegates is concerned by the recent arrest and detainment of members of the Turkish media and the broad effort by the Erdoğan administration to censor freedom of the press; and

            Whereas, A strong democracy requires that all members of the society respect the freedom of expression, even when voices opposed to the government are vocal; and

            Whereas, President Erdoğan's administration has instituted a crackdown of critical voices in the Turkish media and his administration has attracted international attention in recent months with the arrest of the editor-in-chief of Zaman, a widely circulated daily newspaper in Turkey, and the CEO of the Samayolu Media Group. These men were arrested December 14, 2014, and detained on questionable charges. To date, the editor-in-chief has been released, but the CEO of Samanyolu TV remains detained; and

            Whereas, One year prior to these arrests, allegations of corruption were levied against the Erdoğan administration and, subsequently, many prominent journalists have lost their jobs for writing material critical of the Erdoğan administration. These tactics are continuing and are unacceptable in a democracy; a free press is central to full access to information for the citizens of Turkey. The attempt by the Turkish government to punish and censor the Turkish media is a matter of deep concern for the State of West Virginia; and

            Whereas, Such a broad effort by the Turkish government to censor the media is an affront to the basic principles of democracy, free society, free enterprise, equal opportunity and the rule of law; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the West Virginia House of Delegates:

            That this body expresses its deep concern for the erosion of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the Republic of Turkey; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That this body strongly urges President Erdoğan and his administration to promote a peaceful and appropriate resolution to this crisis.