Germany’s significant left-liberal newspaper, Die Tageszeitung (TAZ), covered the activities of the International Journalists Association (IJA), founded by exiled journalists. The article mentions, “The International Journalists Association brings together exiled journalists from around the world who have been affected by oppression, with great success.” The report highlights that even in the countries where exiled journalists reside, they are still targeted by the AKP regime. The article also features the views and experiences of these exiled journalists.
Responding to TAZ’s questions, Cevheri Güven, a Turkish journalist who, along with other journalists fleeing the Erdoğan regime, founded the IJA (International Journalists Association), an international media professionals’ association in Frankfurt in 2017. Güven said, “Our primary goal is to support exiled journalists in continuing their work.”
The Article in TAZ Reads as Follows:
IJA ASSOCIATION FIGHTS FOR PRESS FREEDOM: STRONG VOICES FROM EXILE
The International Journalists Association brings together exiled journalists from around the world who have been affected by oppression, with great success.
Cevheri Güven is a Turkish journalist, but he hasn’t been able to write in his country for ten years. The former editor-in-chief of the political magazine Nokta was imprisoned for two months in 2015 for news articles criticizing President Erdoğan, and like many of his colleagues who criticized the regime, he was threatened with years of imprisonment.
As a result, he fled Turkey and moved to Germany with his family. From there, he continues to report on politics in Turkey, for example, through his own YouTube channel, which has approximately 700,000 subscribers. His videos have been viewed millions of times. Many journalists in exile are broadcasting like him.
In 2017, along with other journalists fleeing Turkey, Güven founded the International Journalists Association (IJA), an international media professionals’ association, in Frankfurt. Güven says, “Our primary goal is to support exiled journalists in continuing their work.”
According to the records, approximately 1,150 colleagues have fled Turkey since 2013, and about half of them have gone to the European Union. The international journalists gathered under a single roof aim to strengthen solidarity and information exchange among themselves, promote press freedom and media ethics, and, of course, continue reporting.
The IJA is currently running various publishing channels. It manages online media outlets such as Turkish Minute, Velev, and Bold, which broadcast in Turkish. They do not only follow and comment critically on political events in Turkey and the pressure on regime opponents but also report on economy, culture, society, and international issues.
Since 2020, the IJA has also been publishing a print magazine called Journalist Post every six months. The magazine focuses on press freedom and the threats to press freedom worldwide. One of the frequently covered topics is Turkish investigative journalists imprisoned for their news critical of the government. However, retaliations against our colleagues in Russia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans are also reported: For example, even in Germany, a local editor from the German countryside raises the issue of the increasing physical attacks on journalists, often coming from right-wing circles.
420 Members from 20 Countries
Though Journalist Post has a small print run of 3,000 copies, the IJA’s online publications already have considerable reach.
The association, which currently has 420 members from 20 countries, produces 150 hours of video content per month with its platforms and the supported ones, says the International Relations Director, Yasemin Aydın. For instance, Bold’s YouTube channel was viewed 13 million times in June, and Turkish Minute has been used as a source 6,400 times by other media and institutions so far. It is also used by the opposition in Turkey.
Aydın emphasizes, “We mostly work on a voluntary basis.” Everything is financed by sponsors and currently 1,800 supporting members. The need for funding is increasing. The IJA also runs a media academy, encourages young talents, and collaborates with journalism schools and foundations. It supports colleagues in exile worldwide, beyond just journalism, by providing consultations with friendly lawyers or supporting journalistic matters.
Cevheri Güven knows from his own experiences that working in exile is not always easy. About two years ago, the pro-government newspaper Sabah targeted him and published his address. Since then, he has been living elsewhere with his family and under police protection.
However, he and other IJA activists are hopeful that exiled journalism, with new channels and non-profit approaches, can increasingly gain importance and fulfill its watchdog role despite all pressures. Cevheri Güven says, “This has great potential and can change the media environment.” Nevertheless, he still wishes to return to broadcasting from Turkey as soon as possible.
