Sürat Cargo denounces claims made by pro-gov’t media over license

Sürat Cargo, a shipping company, has announced that a criminal complaint will be filed against certain pro-government media outlets which recently launched a defamation campaign against the company, claiming it does not have a license to offer its shipping services.

A written statement by Sürat Company said on Thursday that the government mouthpieces Sabah and Yeni Asır dailies ran a series of fabricated stories about an ongoing license application process with the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), claiming that Sürat Cargo was banned from offering shipping services.

The company highlighted that though a decision has not been made by the BTK on the issue, these media outlets ran stories with such headlines as, "No permission to 'parallel cargo company.'"

"Parallel state" is a term coined by then-Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to refer to the Gülen movement, also known as Hizmet movement, which he considers as being behind the revelation of the Dec. 17, 2013 corruption scandal implicating four former ministers and key government members.

"Sürat Cargo, which has come through all inspections to date, will continue to offer shipping services by delivering on all its commitments, and a criminal lawsuit will be filed against those responsible for the publication of such fabricated stories," the statement stressed.

Published on Today's Zaman, 18 June 2015, Thursday