Council of Europe head urges Turkish media to provide full and accurate coverage of protests

ISTANBUL

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, attends a news conference in Moscow, May 22, 2013. Jagland, commented on the situation in Turkey and the role of government and media. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

In an interview with the Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, commented on the situation in Turkey and the role of government and media.  
 
“I take note of the fact that the Turkish government has acknowledged that excessive force may have been used against the protesters in recent demonstrations. Any such allegations should be properly investigated and everything should be done to prevent excessive use of force in the future,” Jagland said.

“I encourage the authorities to look at the underlying causes of the protests and to do their utmost to address them in a peaceful and democratic manner. I also urge all media outlets to provide full and accurate coverage of the situation,” he added in the statement.