Monday, July 05, 2010

As Turkey looks to West, trial highlights lagging press freedom

"As Turkey looks to West, trial highlights lagging press freedom
At a cafe in Istanbul, a patron reads Sabah, a pro-government newspaper. Turkish papers have either a secular or Islamist slant.

By Janine Zacharia
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, July 5, 2010

ISTANBUL -- For a country that is trying to demonstrate its reliability as a partner of the West, Turkey faces an awkward moment next week: An Istanbul judge is set to weigh the legality of enormous tax-related fines imposed on a media firm whose newspapers had sharply criticized the government."

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