The latest attack against the headquarters of Hürriyet, one of the major Turkish newspapers, represents a threat against the principle of freedom of the press. Freedom of the press is an integral part of free speech and constitutes one of the most important assurances of a modern democracy. It is not possible to describe a country as free and democratic if the press is not free and journalists are not able to carry on their work unhindered. It is our greatest wish that  a country such as Turkey which is engaged in a negotiations process with the EU and which has realised important progress in terms of democratisation will not take any step backwards in that respect. One of the key responsibilities of the State and the government is to secure freedom of the press and to ensure that press organisations and press representatives can carry out their work without constraint. We call upon all parties to show the necessary sensitivity towards these concerns.  

Ayhan ZEYTİNOĞLU
IKV Chairman