Turkish People Gather Protest Media Crackdown
ISTANBUL (AFP) – Turkish people have converged on Istanbul’s courthouse to protest against the government’s intensified crackdown on opposition media.
The protest has been sparked by the recent arrest of media staff who are critical of the Ankara government.
Supporters of Zaman daily newspaper and Samanyolu TV channel say the recent broad campaign against media is a coup against democracy.
On Sunday, Turkish police detained at least 23 journalists and staff in raids on opposition media outlets close to the US-based self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen.
Among those arrested were Ekrem Dumanli, the editor-in-chief of Zaman, and Hikmet Karaca, the head of Samanyolu TV.
The detained people are accused of having engaged in "forgery and slander” against the government, according to a statement issued by the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, the commissioner for enlargement negotiations, have condemned Turkey’s raid on journalists and media people as "against the European values and standards Turkey aspires to be part of.”
The EU’s criticism of the Ankara government comes as Turkey has long seeking to join the 27-nation bloc.
The raid come days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signaled a fresh campaign against supporters of his rival and former ally, Gulen, vowing to pursue them "in their lairs.”
The protest has been sparked by the recent arrest of media staff who are critical of the Ankara government.
Supporters of Zaman daily newspaper and Samanyolu TV channel say the recent broad campaign against media is a coup against democracy.
On Sunday, Turkish police detained at least 23 journalists and staff in raids on opposition media outlets close to the US-based self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen.
Among those arrested were Ekrem Dumanli, the editor-in-chief of Zaman, and Hikmet Karaca, the head of Samanyolu TV.
The detained people are accused of having engaged in "forgery and slander” against the government, according to a statement issued by the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, the commissioner for enlargement negotiations, have condemned Turkey’s raid on journalists and media people as "against the European values and standards Turkey aspires to be part of.”
The EU’s criticism of the Ankara government comes as Turkey has long seeking to join the 27-nation bloc.
The raid come days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signaled a fresh campaign against supporters of his rival and former ally, Gulen, vowing to pursue them "in their lairs.”