December 30, 2014

Zaman Editor-in-Chief: Turkish government no longer democratic

Asharq Al-Awsat—Ekrem Dumanlı was arrested on December 14, part of a series of coordinated raids by Turkish authorities against a number of prominent media figures, all facing charges of belonging to a terrorist “parallel organization.” The organization in question? Fethullah Gülen’s Hizmet movement.

Al-Awsat: Media freedoms in Turkey only on paper

Asharq al-Awsat, one of the most influential papers in the Arab world, has featured an interview with Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı with the headline reading “Media freedoms in Turkey, only on paper.”

He says, ‘Don’t just be afraid, tremble!’ and now everybody is talking about him

When Today's Zaman told the anonymous whistleblower Fuat Avni in a direct message on Twitter that the editorial team had chosen him person of the year, the mysterious account replied: “Person of the year? Is this a joke?”

Turkish court rejects appeal to arrest Dumanlı

A court has rejected an appeal made by a prosecutor requesting the arrest of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, stating that there was no new evidence that was sufficient to put Dumanlı behind bars.

Summary of proceedings reveals plot against media

The summary of proceedings of the recent police operation conducted to silence free media demonstrates that it was a plot targeting the Zaman daily and the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group.

An interview at a party-state

Oğuzhan Tekin

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's witch-hunt campaign to find and eliminate people who are sympathizer of the Hizmet movement and not sympathizer of the government was reflected in interviews that were organized by the Ministry of Education last month. It seems Turkey has totally become a party-state.

This single tweet got a Turkish journalist detained

The detention of journalists is not exceptional in Turkey: The Committee to Protect Journalists says the country was the world's worst jailer of journalists in 2012 and 2013, and among the 10 worst this year. However, reports of the detention of Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas on Tuesday suggest a remarkably low bar for arrest: a single tweet.