Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Turkish government on the takeover of the Zaman newspaper and restrictions on press freedom and freedom of speech in Turkey.

Mr David Lidington

We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. As a friend and ally, we urge the Turkish government to uphold the right of media to operate without restriction. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. I also discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when I met Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March.