Europe loses moral authority: Turkish editor Ergin on winning freedom of speech award

Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet’s Editor-in-Chief Sedat Ergin has been honoured with Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s Freedom of Speech Award.

While receiving the award at the Plenary Hall of the World Conference Center in Bonn on Monday, he said he was receiving it with 'rather mixed feelings'.

"When the subject of the award you have received is freedom of expression, the troubling state of that freedom is inevitably highlighted,” he added.

The award honours Ergin’s courageous commitment to freedom of the press in Turkey, Deutsche Welle said in a media release.

In Turkey many renowned journalists and authors have become victims of assassination attempts and terror attacks.

Ergin himself is on trial for a sentence of up to four years of imprisonment on charge of insulting Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan in a report.

The treatment of journalists in Turkey has had 'a chilling effect on freedom of expression', he said.   

“This award carries a message regarding the state of freedom of expression in my country.

“I must point out that a slight bitterness hangs over my feelings,” he added.

“Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental values of humankind,” the journalist said.

“It is an essential aspect of our existence in human societies.”

“Acceptance of democracy as the world’s dominant form of government is under greater threat than at any point in the last 25 years,” Ergin said.

He said European institutions 'no longer exert the same kind of influence when it comes to preserving the values and ideals defining Europe’s identity'

 “European institutions are also losing their moral authority.”

Referring to recent developments in Turkey, the journalist criticised the European Union for stagnation in the reform process in his country, Germany and France for changing their opinion on full EU membership for Turkey.

"There is no doubt that both parties bear responsibility for this.

“The European Union demonstrated a major institutional failure to detect, read and analyze this deviation,” he added.

Kai Diekmann, publisher of German newspaper BILD, gave the laudation.

“There could hardly have been a more worthy winner of the award," he said.

"Sedat Ergin is not only a man of great character. He is not only an outstanding journalist with 40 years of experience, and he is not only a great editor-in-chief. He is also a courageous man.“

Referring to the case against Ergin, Diekmann said, “Four years because of one article.”

“Only three flight hours away from Berlin or Bonn, every day in Turkey journalists risk everything. Our Turkish colleagues risk their jobs, their physical integrity, their health, their freedom. They risk their lives.

“We have to face the ugly question: Has Europe become susceptible to blackmail because of the refugee deal with Turkey?” Diekmann asked.

He then answered the question himself: “Germany and the European Union have a duty: We must not tire of addressing the terrible state of the freedom of the press and opinion in Turkey. We have to do this in no uncertain manner.”

“Let us do everything to make sure that the loud voices of our courageous colleagues will never fall silent,” Diekmann said.

Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office, recalled Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, the winner of the first freedom of speech award in 2015.

“Raif Badawi is still not able to be here in person due to his imprisonment. Our thoughts are with him today,” he said.