Ottawa raises alarm over Turkey’s takeover of major newspaper

The Canadian government is raising alarm over NATO ally Turkey’s state takeover of one of the country’s biggest daily newspapers, warning Ankara against quashing “critical dissent.”

A spokesman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion urged Turkey to undo the constraints in press freedom there.

On March 4, the Turkish state took control of Istanbul-based Zaman, a high circulation daily newspaper linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, an influential foe of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan.

“Canada is very concerned over the seizure of the Zaman newspaper by government authorities last week,” Joe Pickerill, a spokesman for Mr. Dion said.

“We have called on Turkey to reverse these worrying trends and to protect freedom of the press. We join our allies in urging the Turkish government to foster free expression rather than frustrate critical dissent. A free and independent media plays a crucial role in any democracy.”

Mr. Erdogan accuses Mr. Gulen of conspiring to overthrow the government by building a network of supporters in the judiciary, police and media. Mr. Gulen denies the accusations.

Like Canada, Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance originally set up after the Second World War that has also been considered a league of democracies.

On Tuesday, Cihan news agency in Turkey also reported that it had been seized by Turkish authorities with an Istanbul court set to appoint an administrator that would run the media outlet.

Turkey’s actions are coming under increasing criticism from allies.

In Washington Tuesday, State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters the action against Cihan was “just another example of an unnecessary crackdown on journalism” and urged the Turkish government to ensure full respect for due process.

The seizure of Zaman prompted international alarm about press freedom in Turkey and was discussed at Monday’s European Union summit with Ankara over the migration crisis.

France’s foreign minister said the decision to seize control of Zaman was “unacceptable” and went against European values.

Both Cihan and Zaman are part of the Feza Gazetecilik media company.

Mr. Erdogan accuses Mr. Gulen of conspiring to overthrow the government by building a network of supporters in the judiciary, police and media. Mr. Gulen denies the accusations.

The two men were allies until police and prosecutors considered sympathetic to Gulen opened a corruption investigation into Erdogan’s inner circle in 2013.

Published on The Globe and Mail, 9 March 2016, Wednesday