The United States has expressed concern after the arrest of Today's Zaman chief editor Bülent Keneş and called on Turkey to respect media freedoms at a time of "increasing number of investigations" into media outlets critical of the government.
Journalist Keneş, who is leading a newspaper critical of the government, was taken from his office late on Friday and arrested on charges of “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a series of tweets that the journalist said was simply him expressing a critical opinion.
Katy Bondy, State Department spokesperson, told Today's Zaman that Washington is concerned by the increasing number of investigations into media outlets for criticism of the government and for accusations of allegedly disseminating terrorist propaganda."
"We are also concerned by the aggressive use of judicial inquiries to curb free speech," Bondy said.
Earlier on Friday, Douglas Frantz, the US Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, criticized the arrest of Keneş, tweeting that "This is not a democracy."
Only on Friday, four journalists were either arrested or given a prison sentence over "insulting" Erdoğan.
The State Department spokesperson said they call on Turkey to respect the media freedoms and due process protections that are enshrined in the Turkish constitution. She added that these are "key elements" in every healthy democracy and that it is particularly important to allow different voices and viewpoints to be expressed during the campaign period.
"The quality of Turkey’s democracy matters to us," Bondy said, stressing that the US expects the Turkish authorities to uphold Turkey’s core values, democratic foundations, and universally recognized fundamental freedoms.
Turkey is roundly criticized for escalating pressure on critical media outlets ahead of elections, with world's leading press advocacy bodies characterizing Turkey as one of the worst places for journalists.
Published on Today's Zaman, 9 October 2015, Saturday
Latest news, academic excerpts, commentary, book reviews and interviews on Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement (aka The Gulen Movement).
Search This Blog
Overview
Content from 164 countries/states
Categories
New Audio Podcast
Some Highlights
- Top Three Reasons Why Turkey’s President Erdogan is Obsessed with Gulen
- Turkish witch-hunt against the Gulen movement lacks one thing: Evidence
- Bill Clinton on Fethullah Gulen's contribution to the world
- Erdoğan’s war against Hizmet: Step by step
- Is Gulen Movement a religious order?
- Is the Gülen Movement a civil society initiative?
- Popular Islam – Hizmet-Gülen Movement and Fethullah Gülen
- Why do they lie about Fethullah Gülen?
- The Responsibility of the Hizmet movement
- Gülen movement is a chance for humanity, American professor says
- Gulen Movement: An attempt to represent Islam and Muslims positively
- Muslims Must Combat the Extremist Cancer
- The Place of the Gulen Movement in the intellectual history of Islam
- A Universal Islamic Phenomenon in Turkish Religious Practice: the Gülen Case
Suggested Readings
Disclaimer: Copyrights and ideas in the articles belong to their respective owners. Hizmet Movement (Gulen Movement) Blog may not be held liable from the content of articles nor their potential misuse by third parties. Articles shared are not necessarily endorsed. Links and images used in the blog posts may differ from those at their original source. Translated articles are solely intended for the convenience of the readers, and may include minor errors.