US State Department criticized charges against the Cumhuriyet's newspaper's staff.

The United States has declared it is concerned about Turkey's commitment to democracy, after recent charges against two critical journalists raised serious concerns over the country's commitment to democracy and freedom of expression, and urged the Turkish government to ensure that everyone in the country is free to speak.

Washington considers Turkey a robust ally but says it is not going to “shy away” from leveling criticism on its ally's democracy and rights record.

US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday criticized charges against the Cumhuriyet's newspaper's staff. “We're obviously very troubled by the reports,” Toner told reporters in a daily press briefing.

A new indictment seeks an aggravated life sentence, a life sentence and 30 years of imprisonment for Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül on separate charges. Both journalists have been held in a prison outside İstanbul since last November.

“We said before the extraordinarily harsh criminal charges, pretrial arrest, and now the prosecution's call for life sentences raise serious concerns about Turkey's commitment to fundamental principles of freedom of expression, of democracy, of due process, and judicial independence,” Toner said in a forceful statement.

Washington's unusually strong remarks came on a day when the world's three leading rights advocates -- Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and Transparency International -- targeted Turkey for its decline in democracy, gross violation of rights and a poor record on corruption...
  todayszaman.com
 28/1/16
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