Ruling SYRIZA party is seemingly in a state of ‘cognitive dissonance’, as it released a statement condemning the lack of freedom of press in Turkey, just a few days after its leader and Greek PM Alexis Tsipras had signed an agreement with the Turkish state press agency Anadolu! Before the official visit by Tsipras to Smyrna, the Turkish authorities had displayed a blatant and undemocratic disregard to the freedom of press by shutting down and taking control of the country’s main opposition newspaper, Zaman, and news agency Cihan, actions condemned by the European Parliament. Turkey under the rule of President Erdogan has become notorious for its press gagging and ‘silencing’ dissenting voices, featuring high on the list of countries that censor social media the most. The statement released by SYRIZA also makes reference to the political persecution of democratic and progressive voices in Turkey, while it also notes the violent suppression by the Turkish military in the south-east of the country.
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