ANKARA
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe President Anne Brasseur said Thursday that press freedom should be accompanied by responsibility and security.
Brasseur referred to the wide use of a picture showing a Turkish prosecutor who was taken hostage and killed by members of a Marxist terrorist group. The publication of the photo led to the temporary blocking by court order of social media networks in the country Monday such as YouTube and Twitter.
"The press has also responsibility. Yes, media freedom, but no freedom without responsibility. There must also be a protection of private sphere," Brasseur said in her remarks to reporters in English.
"There you see the difficulty of having freedom on one hand and on the other hand, protection of private sphere and also security," Brasseur said.
She added government has to guarantee security. "I have an understanding that there must be a protection. On the other hand, I was explained that the picture was propaganda for the terrorists. If you are looking outside, it is easier to discuss it."
Blockage on access to Twitter and YouTube was lifted Monday evening after the networks removed the controversial content.
Turkey's contributions to refugees
Brasseur also praised Turkey's role in providing aid and relief to refugees, saying, "I thanked Turkey for what they are doing in receiving refugees mainly from Syria."
Turkey is currently hosting nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees, according to Turkish officials.
"Migration is one of our priorities and we must find a common solution. We cannot leave the countries at the borders like Turkey, alone with the problem. We need to have solidarity in order to find common solutions," she said.
Brasseur is expected to visit southeastern Gaziantep province and a Syrian refugee camp in Kilis.
The four-year-old Syria conflict has created an acute refugee crisis, with as many as 3.8 million Syrian refugees currently registered in neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
