The Surreal McCoy reports:
A wet Wednesday afternoon and a gathering of Amnesty, English Pen, CRNI,Turkish journalists and representatives from the PCO outside the Turkish Embassy in London. It was World Press Freedom Day and we were here to protest the ongoing treatment of Turkish journalists and specifically for the PCO, the cartoonist Musa Kart. Held without charge for over five months he was finally charged with “abusing trust” and “helping an armed terrorist organisation without being a member”, carrying a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison. The first hearing for his case is due on 24th July. He will have spent nine months in prison by then.
PCO members, and other cartoonists all around the world, posted and tweeted selfies with the hashtag #FreeTurkeyMedia. Some cartoons were made into placards, sending simple yet powerful messages. Many thanks to all our members who donated their work.
Read the speech Musa Kart’s wife gave at the European Parliament