Hozan Kawa, a Kurdish musician who flew from Cologne in Germany to İstanbul in Turkey to join celebrations for the Nevruz festival, was detained at İstanbul Atatürk Airport on 16 March 2015 and then released the following day. The 43-year-old musician was taken to the police station at the airport …

In 2014, Freemuse registered a total number of 90 attacks and violations against musicians’ rights to musical freedom of expression.

The European Court of Human Rights has convicted Turkey of violating freedom of speech in the case of singer Ferhat Tunç. A Turkish court had sentenced Ferhat Tunç to three months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine for having made dissident comments during a concert. The European …

Artists, activists and journalists respond to Turkey’s presentation to the UN Council on Human Rights Universal Periodic Review.

The Turkish Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) has fined two music tv channels for airing music videos with scenes of sexuality, reported Hurriyet Daily News. RTÜK fined Genç TV for broadcasting the music video of Elliphant’s song ‘One More’, which features a scene of two women kissing. RTÜK …

Artists, activists and journalists respond to Turkey’s presentation to the UN Council on Human Rights Universal Periodic Review   On 27 January 2015, Bülent Arinç, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, delivered a report on the state of human rights in Turkey to the United Nations Council on Human Rights. Arinç, …

On 16 January 2015 an investigation was opened against folk music artist Kutsal Evcimen because of insulting prime minister of the time, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the folk song ‘Satın Eşek Sıpaları’ which he sang – and with a short speech he made – during Malatya 11th International Arguvan Folk Music Festival. …

Freemuse and several Turkish partners are hosting a joint event in Istanbul, Turkey, on 27 January 2015 for artists and freedom of expression activists and media. The participants will watch a live web-cast from the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva as it reviews the human rights situation in …

“Scores of media figures” were detained in a police raid on 14 December 2014, reported Hurriyet Daily News. Tv-drama producer Salih Asan, director Engin Koç and scriptwriter Makbule Çam Alemdağ were among the detained. Salih Asan was the producer of a controversial tv-drama called ‘Şefkat Tepe’ (literally translated as ‘Affection …

This 60-page report presents data and information related to violations of freedom of expression in Turkey, including the effects of the judicial system, law on freedom of expression, self-censorship, pressure on the press, hate speech and freedom of religion and conscience.