In a move reminiscent of the takeover of the Koza group before the recent Turkish elections, a Turkish court has appointed trustees to run Kaynak Holding, which owns prestigious trade and education publishers, magazine titles, a printer, a book distribution company and a national chain of booksellers.
President of the Turkish Publishers Association (TPA), Metin Celal, said, ‘The seizure of Kaynak Holding by the trustee is a serious intervention that will hit and downgrade publishing life in Turkey. As a result, the publishing house can now be controlled and its books censored. Freedom to publish in Turkey is guaranteed under the Constitution and these rights need to be acknowledged and protected. The TPA demands that the publishing-related companies owned by Kaynak Holding be allowed to continue their publishing activities freely.’
Secretary General of the IPA, José Borghino, said, ‘This has become a worrying trend in Turkey. Freedom to publish is a fundamental tenet of democratic societies and part of that freedom includes the need for a variety of views to circulate. The situation in Turkey is worsening as more and more publishers are threatened with closure or increased control and censorship. We call on the Turkish Government to ensure that no such muzzling of opinions can happen in the takeover of Kaynak Holding or any other publishing and media businesses.’