Turkish government crackdown on culture after failed coup

In the wake of the July 15 failed coup attempt, Turkey's government under President Erdogan has intensified its crackdown on cultural and educational institutions. Artist and journalist Zehra Doğan, editor of the Kurdish feminist news agency Jinha, faces trial for alleged ties to a militant group, with her art cited as evidence. She is among many targets: three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 45 newspapers, and 15 magazines have been shut down, and 47 journalists arrested. Vasif Kortun, director of the contemporary arts center SALT, told AFP that Turkey has become a difficult place to live, especially for artistic practice requiring free speech. Artists interviewed by AFP unanimously oppose the coup attempt. An anonymous artist noted society has become very aggressive. Artist and writer Pinar Ogrenci, 43, stated she wants no coup, knowing the cruelty of military rule. Translator Nazim Dikbas, who rendered Nabokov into Turkish and Pamuk into English, said Turkey already had free expression problems before the coup, with journalists, intellectuals, and human rights defenders imprisoned. Kortun described police harassment at film screenings, warning that even institutions protecting new ideas are not safe. There is also concern that European funding may be cut, leaving artists reliant on conservative, government-aligned local donors, further threatening free expression.