Gathering in Istanbul for Freedom of Expression, an international meeting organised by local Turkish groups,  is holding its sixth bi-annual conference from 23 to 24 May.

The meeting will take place at the Dolapdere campus of Bilgi University.

On 23 May, sessions will focus on the theme of freedom of expression under the threat of discrimination in a democratic society.

The following day, participants will discuss freedom of expression under the threat of terror and armed conflict in the Black Sea region.

The meeting is supported by IFEX members Human Rights Watch, International PEN, International Publishers Association, ARTICLE 19 and Index on Censorship, as well as Amnesty International and Freemuse.

The first Gathering in Istanbul was held on March 1997 when International PEN organized a solidarity campaign with 1080
publishers of the book titled “Freedom of Thought” and collected signatures from authors all around the world. When the prosecutor refused to open a similar case against them, a special mission of 19 writers/PEN representatives from 12 different countries visited Istanbul.

There have been four gatherings since. Click here to read more information on them.

A programme for the gathering will be published at the beginning of May. (IFEX/AG)