David Cameron has been urged by the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, to follow Barack Obama and condemn the crackdown on press freedom in Turkey, the host of this weekend’s G20 summit.
Police in Turkey raided the editorial offices of a critical newspaper this week, and there have been reports that the government has refused press credentials to a dissident newspaper.
Obama’s office has been openly critical of the attacks on press freedom in Turkey.
In a letter to Cameron, Farron urges him to take a public stand in defence of press freedom in Turkey. “Freedom of expression and, by extention, freedom of the press, must be at the core of every democratic society, and after peaceful election in Turkey just last month, I am sure you will share my disappointment at the accusations of police intimidation of journalists including the raid of the offices of Zaman this week.
“Your government has been accused of narrowing down the UK’s foreign policy into a focus on trade alone, and I encourage you to take this opportunity to counter that criticism and take a public stand against these attacks on the most basic of freedoms.
“Membership of the G20 may be mostly based on economics, but Britain’s place as a global power is not.“
Farron told the Guardian: “Mustafa Atatürk helped create the state of Turkey as a democratic, secular and modern state. The UK government must hold [Turkish president Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan’s government to account for straying from that path.
“Britain has a deep relationship with Turkey and we must be its critical friend. It is now time to step up and do that. The prime minister must do this, not through the ‘usual channels’ but face to face.”
