The ongoing persecution of European citizens by the Turkish regime, especially against journalists such as Sener Levent, who has been honoured with the European Citizen's Award and who was given a new prison sentence, was denounced in his intervention to the European Commission by MEP Costas Mavrides (S and D), in view of the voting of the Report on Turkey in the Plenary of the European Parliament.
Mavrides states in a press release that he issued that "Turkey's interventions against European citizens in EU member states is a frequent phenomenon, which in the case of the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus is self-evident." He adds that especially the persecution of the Cypriot citizen Sener Levent, publisher and journalist who was honoured with the European Citizens Prize of the European Parliament, remains unprecedented." The other day, as he points out, "a Turkish court in Ankara announced a new prison sentence for Levent, demonstrating the instrumentalisation of the judiciary in Turkey as an instrument of the government regime."
Mavrides emphasises that the European Parliament in its Report on Turkey "condemns Turkey's repeated attempts to intimidate and silence journalists and progressive citizens in the Turkish Cypriot community, thus violating their right to freedom of opinion and expression."
In addition, Mavrides expresses a series of complaints about Turkey's actions against Sener Levent in particular and calls for immediate measures to protect a European citizen-journalist, who has been awarded the European Citizens Prize, and to ensure the respect for his basic freedoms.
In conclusion, the MEP notes that "despite the recommendations from the EU, Turkey has not complied but continues to violate basic human rights within Turkey as well as, through the subservient regime it imposed and maintains on EU territory, in the occupied part of Cyprus", and calls on the Commission to proceed "with effective measures, including sanctions, for Turkey's compliance".
Source: Cyprus News Agency