Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on press freedom of the takeover of the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

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 2015, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. These reports reinforce our long-standing concerns about freedom of press in Turkey. Freedom of press and access to a range of views are crucial in a democracy. As a friend and ally, we urge the Turkish government to uphold the right of media to operate without restriction.