Flickr/GuidoMenato. Some Rights ReservedIt is now ten months since Turkish government declared a state of emergency in response to the attempted coup. In that time it has cracked down on critics and waged a war on free speech and media. More than 160 media outlets have either been closed down or taken under state control and scores of journalists have been locked up. Research from Reporters Without Borders shows that 130 journalists and media employees remain behind bars, one third of the total around the world.
The attacks haven’t been limited to the media, with 125,000 state workers having been purged from their jobs, including 4000 civil servants who have been removed in the last week alone. A further 40,000 people have been arrested, with reports from Amnesty suggesting that torture, beatings and sexual violence against prisoners has become widespread.
It was to this backdrop that Theresa May became the first Western leader to visit Erdogan since the crackdown began. Her visit, which took place in January, was a clear and unambiguous statement of political and military support.
