Pamuk: In Turkey, pressure is put on the media and journalists are harassed

Turkish writer and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk said in an interview with "Hurijet" newspaper that there is an atmosphere of fear in Turkey and accused the Turkish government of putting pressure on the media and harassing journalists.

"The worst of all is that there is fear. I think everyone is afraid, and that is not normal. Freedom of expression has fallen to a very low level," said Pamuk, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.

He accused the government of putting pressure on the media, and particularly criticized the mistreatment of journalists, reports AFP.

"Many friends told me that such and such a journalist lost his job. Now even journalists who are close to the government are being harassed," said the 62-year-old writer who often came into conflict with the Turkish authorities.

He also expressed his disappointment over the recent statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said that men and women are not equal.

Pamuk said that his newly published novel "Something strange in my head" is about the repression suffered by women in Turkey.

Pamuk, the first Turkish writer to win the Nobel Prize, is known for novels such as "Snow" and "My Name is Rose."

His books have been translated into more than 60 languages.