Europe condemns death threats against Afrika journalists

THE EUROPEAN Parliament has joined in the widespread condemnation of the public threat by Turkish extremists to kill Turkish Cypriot publisher Sener Levent and one of his journalists, Ali Osman, at Afrika newspaper in Nicosia today.

Francis Wurtz, President of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament, yesterday strongly condemned the death threats issued against the two Turkish Cypriot journalists.

The threat was made on Tuesday through the ultra right-wing newspaper Volkan by one of the leaders of the National Popular Movement (NPM), Hasan Keskin. The NPM is said to be affiliated to the well-known Turkish extremist group the Grey Wolves.

The threat followed publication by Afrika of a UK Appeals Court ruling which characterised the NPM as a terrorist organisation. Keskin warned that Levent and Osman would lose their heads today at 2pm if they continued what they were doing.
“These death threats are entirely unacceptable and represent a severe infringement of the freedom of the press in the occupied territory,” said Wurtz.

The MEP called on the Turkish authorities, “as the occupying power,” to take up its responsibilities and prevent the threat being carried out while also taking steps to ensure there is no repetition of such threats in the future.

Wurtz also called on the EU “to intervene forcefully with the Turkish authorities to remind them of their responsibilities”. He said failure to prevent such behaviour would have a severe impact on relations between Turkey and the EU in the future.

Greek Cypriot political parties and organisations will be staging a demonstration at the Ledra Palace Hotel crossing point in Nicosia at 2pm today in support of Levent and Osman. The demonstration is being organised by the Union of Cyprus Journalists.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.