Gülen says many would like to be in detained journalists’ shoes

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has said he believes many people, including he himself, would like to be in the shoes of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca, who were detained in a police operation on Sunday, implying that it is an honor for the journalists to be in custody under Turkey's current circumstances.

What is happening in Turkey?

Emre Uslu

Turkey again attracts attention in the world as a country where press freedom is controversial. The Zaman daily's Editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu TV's head Hidayet Karaca have been detained now for four days. The reason for their detention is the allegation that the Gülen movement conspired against a group called Tahşiye. Most probably you have already read about the allegations. The reason for this is obvious. The prosecutors who invented crimes out of a TV series in 2009 are acting in this way to please President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not to comply with the law. Erdoğan is trying to teach his rivals a lesson and to intimidate others at the same time.

Questions and answers in Tahşiye group debate

Bülent Korucu

What are the charges against Ekrem Dumanlı, Hidayet Karaca and other journalists?

Detention turns into punishment of journalists

The detention of two prominent journalists, which has already been extended unnecessarily, was marred by due process violations, turning the process into a punishment by itself.

No return from democracy, Zaman editor Dumanlı says under detention

Ekrem Dumanlı, the editor-in-chief of Turkey's most circulated paper, the Zaman daily, emphasized his strong belief in democracy on the third day of his detention in an unprecedented government-backed police crackdown.

What is the main offense that the Cemaat (Hizmet movement) has committed?

Ahmet Hakan, Hürriyet

Those police officers who carried out the operation are so incompetent… They helped the perception that “Fuat Avni” [a deep throat within the government who is disclosing the government-planned unlawful operations prior to them being put into action] knows everything that even [Deputy Prime Minister] Bülent Arınç does not know to be imprinted on people's minds and helped many people to ask, “What is the Cemaat's main offense?”

Unraveling the facts of the unprecedented crackdown on Turkish media

The largest ever crackdown on Turkish media on Sunday, with the arbitrary detention of the best-selling newspaper's editor-in-chief and a leading national TV network's general director, raised a lot of concerns at home and abroad about whether Turkey is sliding fast on the scale of democracy.

The witch-hunt reaches Turkey’s media

Mahir Zeynalov

“If this is a witch-hunt, yes, we will carry out this witch-hunt,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a few months ago to confront criticism that his government has gone too far in removing police officers and prosecutors who carried out a corruption investigation against his ministers and son.

Behind the scenes of Tahşiyeciler setup as pretext for clampdown on free press

Bülent Korucu

The police conducted an operation against an al-Qaeda-linked organization in 2010. The order for this operation was given by then-Police Chief Oğuz Kağan Köksal, who is currently a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). One of the members of this organization who was tried under this operation decided to take advantage of the government's "parallel" paranoia and filed a complaint in connection with this operation. This complaint is now being used as a pretext for the recent crackdown on journalists.

Free Media Cannot be silenced

Begüm Burak

The detention of the journalists was a “black day for democracy” for Zaman, in contrast to pro-government Star's headline saying “their caves have been entered”

Heading for a repressive regime at full speed

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Last Friday night I rang one after the other the editors-in-chief of the Zaman, Today's Zaman and Bugün newspapers -- Ekrem Dumanlı, Bülent Keneş and Erhan Başyurt, respectively. Their names were cited by Fuat Avni, a Twitter phenomenon, as journalists who would be taken into custody.

What to do and what not to do now

Joost Lagendijk

The latest wave of media arrests has shown, again, that there are no limits to the campaign of revenge waged by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his lackeys in the government, the judiciary and the media. All those who dare to stand up and protest against the suffocating authoritarianism of the current rulers are targeted. Last weekend, this newspaper and other media linked to the Hizmet movement were the victims. Today, Beşiktaş fans are in court, facing long prison sentences. Nobody knows who will be next.

The crushing of free media

Amanda Paul

George Orwell wrote freedom of the press “means the freedom to criticize and oppose.” Unfortunately in Turkey, the space to oppose and criticize is shrinking by the minute. Already in very poor health, media freedom plunged to an all-time disgraceful low this week following a police operation ordered by the authorities to arrest dozens of journalists on what are clearly sham charges.

The democratic challenge

Doğu Ergil

On Sunday (Dec. 14) the police raided the Zaman daily and Samanyolu TV and detained some of their top executives. They also detained former police chiefs. They were accused of belonging to a terrorist network conspiring to overthrow the incumbent government, among other charges.

Western countries voice concern over mass media arrests

A number of Western countries have expressed concern over a recent detention of senior media figures in Turkey.

White House concerned over arrest of Turkish journalists

The White House has expressed concerns over the arrest of Turkish journalists, including Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, and called on Ankara to conduct investigations in a manner consistent with the rule of law.

Media detentions spark crisis in beleaguered EU ties

Federica Mogherini, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, expressed surprise after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed Brussels for remarks critical of recent media detentions.

Andrew Duff calls for Turkey’s EU accession negotiations to be suspended

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) president Andrew Duff, calls for EU to halt ongoing accession talks with Turkey amidst anti-democratic detainments of journalists.

EU Council questions Turkey’s respect to media freedom with recent arrests

The European Union Council has said recent police raids and the detention of a number of journalists and media representatives in Turkey call into question the respect for freedom of the media, which it characterized as a "core principle of democracy."

Right to defense of detained journalists Dumanlı and Karaca violated

Fikret Duran, the lawyer of Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca, who was taken into custody along with the Zaman newspaper's editor-in-chief in a government-backed crackdown, has announced that her client's right to a defense has been limited by an order from the prosecutor to reduce the numbers of lawyers working on the case.

Peaceful protests against media crackdown continue across Turkey

Hundreds of thousands of people across various provinces of the country continued to voice their objection on Tuesday to a government-orchestrated operation that resulted in the detention of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, stating that government attempts to silence free media will fail.

Criticism of police raids continues to trend on social media

Two days after the police raids on Hizmet-affiliated media groups throughout Turkey, criticism of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) continued to trend on Twitter on Tuesday.

Dec. 14 raid initiated to silence media, prominent figures agree

Following the Dec. 14 operations against Zaman and Hizmet-affiliated officials on Sunday, now being labeled by some as a coup against the free media, Turkish political figures have continued to visit Zaman's building to show their support.

TUSKON: Media raids discourage foreign investors

Foreign investors will not come to a country where the media faces intense pressure, Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) President Rızanur Meral said, speaking in front of the Zaman daily offices in İstanbul on Tuesday.

Moody’s maintains long-term Bank Asya rating

Credit ratings agency Moody's has confirmed the long-term deposit rating of Bank Asya, while downgrading its standalone baseline credit assessment (BCA), according to a press release from Moody's on Monday.

How long can Erdoğan suppress the opposition?

Mümtazer Türköne

I was outside of the police department in İstanbul when Zaman editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı was taken into custody on Sunday. The protesters were packed together and excited, but acted maturely.

Turkey puts seal on authoritarianism; NATO, EU should act

Lale Kemal

The detention of senior journalists this past weekend in fresh operations against those opposed to the Turkish government has put the seal on the ruling party's authoritarianism; it can no longer be described as merely a tendency toward authoritarianism.

Final act in struggle for democracy

Abdullah Bozkurt

Muzzling the free and independent press with politically orchestrated raids on the offices of Turkey's bestselling newspaper and a leading national TV network is perhaps the final nail in the coffin for this fledgling democracy that has already been battered by relentless attacks on the rule of law and fundamental rights and liberties by a bunch of ideological zealots who dominate the government.

Tyranny or democracy

Cafer Solgun

The police crackdown on the Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV channel will contribute to the disenchantment of people who might still be confused about Turkey's current situation and the direction it is heading with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at its helm.

Int’l advocacy groups rally behind detained journalists

A number of international advocacy groups for freedom of expression, press freedoms and human rights have expressed strong support for journalists from the Zaman daily and the Samanyolu broadcasting group who were detained by police on Sunday, saying that the Turkish government is targeting media in a national crackdown.

Columnists slam government-backed operation on Zaman, STV

Turkish columnists from a wide range of political leanings have harshly criticized Sunday's police raid targeting journalists and media outlets, with many of them bringing attention to the fact that the operation took place during the week of the anniversary of the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 corruption raids in 2013.

Thousands gather across Turkey to protest police raids against media

In solidarity with the journalists, TV producers and police officers who were detained on Sunday, people gathered in front of courthouses and media buildings across Turkey to protest the police raids on the Zaman daily and Samanyolu TV group, which have been dubbed an "unacceptable attack" against the freedom of the press.

Turkish media under interrogation, freedom of press threatened

Turkish media has been facing an unprecedented crackdown as the executives of Turkey's two leading media outlets have been, since Sunday, in custody and are being questioned as part of a government-orchestrated police operation that has dealt a heavy blow to freedom of the press.

Zaman hits headlines, newspapers show range of influence

The detainment of Zaman's editor-in-chief made headlines in every Turkish daily newspaper on Monday, with reactions exhibiting the ranging influence of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) handle on the media.

Raids on media draw harsh criticism from business groups

Sunday's raids on Turkey's largest daily, Zaman, and the private Samanyolu TV channel have prompted outrage among the country's prominent business groups, which have shared concerns over media freedom and doubts of whether the operations aim to cover up major graft and probe allegations ahead of the first anniversary of last year's corruption investigations into the government.

Media crackdown threatens Turkey’s lucrative TV industry

A raid on Sunday targeting prominent members of the Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV (STV) networks also involved the detention of screenwriters for two STV dramas, a move that does not bode well for the industry as a whole, said Fikret Duran, the lawyer for STV head Hidayet Karaca.

US urges Turkey to protect democratic values after media raid

The United States State Department called on Turkish authorities to protect media freedom and other democratic values in response to media raids and detentions in operations across Turkey on Sunday.

EU condemns Turkish raids against media as ’unacceptable’

The European Union has said a media assault on Zaman daily and other media outlets is an "unacceptable attack" against freedom of media, urging Turkish authorities to respect rights of defendants.

Zaman Editorial Board: Free media cannot be silenced

The Zaman media group, whose editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı was among those detained on Sunday during an ongoing government crackdown on critical media, has released a press statement in seven languages stressing that it will not stop producing independent journalism or bow to government pressure.

Journalists and Writers Foundation's statement [on recent detentions]

The process of gradually undermining democracy in Turkey has come to a new and accelerated phase. Universal criteria for the press freedom are recklessly breached as pressures mount on the journalists who try to perform their duties to make sure people can have access to information within constitutional boundaries. Although they went to the courthouse and asked inquired prosecutors if there was any investigation concerning them and they were told that there was no legal action concerning them two days ago, the executives of certain media outlets were taken to custody with the intention of intimidating and silencing them and creating the perception that they might flee away. Such a practice is an act of tyranny that would never occur to officials of a truly democratic country.

Alliance for Shared Values Statement on Journalists Arrests

The raids on Turkey’s top selling newspaper Zaman and prominent TV organization STV are profoundly disturbing to all of us who value democracy, tolerance and the role of a free press in safeguarding both. Journalists who report about the suppression of human rights are not enemies of the state; rather they are documenting the actions of those who undermine the safeguards of a democratic Turkey.

National Press Club Dismayed Over Reported Arrests of Turkish Journalists

Washington -- The National Press Club president expressed concern over reports that Turkish authorities have arrested a couple of dozen people in what appears to be a crackdown on media outlets that are critical of the Turkish government.

HRW calls recent detentions of journalists repression of critical media

Emma Sinclair-Webb, the representative of Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Turkey, has stated that the detention of journalists and editors in the context of this latest, wider operation looks like another attempt to crack down on critical media.

The crackdown on speech in Turkey must end: Freedom House

Freedom House joins the list of prominent international rights groups condemning the detainments of journalists on Sunday.

CPJ: Turkish authorities target media in nationwide crackdown

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today's raids on media outlets in which police detained journalists and media workers on politicized anti-state charges. Among those detained today were Ekrem Dumanlı, editor-in-chief of Turkey's largest daily Zaman, and Hidayet Karaca, chairman of the Samanyolu Broadcast Group, reports said.

Gov’t trying to subdue dissent, expresses GYV

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) strongly criticized the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for media crack down, amidst wave of journalists detainments on Sunday.

Scandal!

Erhan Başyurt

Turkish democracy and media freedom had a dark day yesterday. Ekrem Dumanlı, The Editor-in-chief of the Zaman daily, the largest-circulating newspaper of Turkey which has been published for a quarter century, and Hidayet Karaca, the President of Samanyolu Broadcasting Group, which comprises five TV stations, were detained.

Journalism associations issue mass condemnations over detainments

Leading Turkish journalist unions and associations slam the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for media crack down, amidst wave of detainments on Sunday.

Local media condemns police raid on media, detention of journalists

Speaking with a single voice, many press organizations in Turkey condemned the police raids of the Zaman daily and Samanyolu TV and the detention of at least 23 people, including journalists, on Sunday.

‘Crackdown on journalists revenge for Dec. 17 and 25 operations’

The detention of journalists who are critical of the government and had covered the Dec. 17 and 25 graft operations, which implicated several ministers and pro-government businessman, is a “revenge operation,” main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Konya deputy Atilla Kart has said.

Opposition parties describe detentions as ‘civilian coup’

Opposition parties have sharply criticized the government for a police operation in which journalists and television producers were detained early on Sunday, describing the operation as a “civilian coup.”

Shameful operation on media

Günal Kurşun

A group of police officials from the İstanbul police anti-terrorism unit arrived at the Zaman daily building on Sunday morning. They tried to enter the building while Zaman supporters protested, chanting slogans like "Free media cannot be silenced." The Zaman daily broadcast the entire drama live, while much of the rest of the Turkish media preferred to ignore the police operation.

Journalists show solidarity in wake of gov’t crackdown

The detention of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı following a police raid on the newspaper's headquarters on Sunday has prompted some veteran journalists to speak out against the government crackdown on the daily and indicate their solidarity with the paper.

Detentions extend to 9 staff members of TV series

Nine individuals, including the producer, director and assistant scriptwriters -- one with a young child -- of Samanyolu TV's once very popular TV series “Tek Türkiye” (One Turkey) were among those detained during Sunday's police operations conducted against critical media outlets across the country.

Unite against one-man rule

Şahin Alpay

In Turkey, Dec. 17-25 of last year signifies the start of the public revelations of the gravest corruption probe against the government led by former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan, elected to the presidency last August, is -- in clear conflict with Turkey's parliamentary system -- assuming the powers of an executive president. He seems highly alarmed that the campaign being organized by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on the anniversary of the suppressed corruption probe will lead to mass protests against his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.