Cyprus asks OSCE to help defend 2 Turkish Cypriot reporters over ‘insult’ to Ankara

Cyprus’ government has asked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to help defend two Turkish Cypriot journalists investigated in Turkey over an article deemed “insulting” to Ankara. The OSCE has been asked to defend the journalists’ “right of free speech and media freedom,” Cyprus government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Wednesday. He added that the European Union is following the case closely. Afrika columnist Ali Osman said he and editor-in-chief Sener Levent did nothing wrong and have refused to cooperate with authorities, AP reports. The article in question was published in January. It likened Ankara’s military offensive in Syria to its military “occupation” of ethnically split Cyprus’ northern third where Turkey has kept 35,000 troops since 1974.