Turkish Cihan news agency ‘seized’ by government
©
Murad Sezer / Reuters
RT,
8
March, 2016
Despite
criticism from European officials over its crackdown on opposition
media, the Turkish government has reportedly taken control of another
news agency. It comes days after the seizure of the popular
opposition newspaper Zaman.
The
news agency Cihan is believed to be close to US-based Muslim cleric
Fethullah Gulen, a foe of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On
Monday it posted a statement on its website which said an Istanbul
court would appoint an administrator to run it. The ruling was made
on a request from prosecutors investigating Gulen, who is suspected
by the Turkish government of plotting a coup.
The
development came just days after the popular opposition newspaper
Zaman was seized by the Turkish government in a similar way. Both the
news agency and the newspaper are part of the Feza Gazetecilik media
company.
Other
media outlets and businesses affiliated with Gulen's movement were
taken over last year as the investigation was underway.
The
crackdown was condemned by rights groups and several European
politicians, although criticism was muted from European leaders, who
were negotiating on Monday a deal with Turkey on handling the refugee
flow into the EU.
“The
press must be free everywhere, including everywhere in Turkey,” said
French President Francois Hollande, one of the few to make a public
statement on Turkish actions. He added that the EU’s co-operation
with Turkey “doesn’t
mean we accept whatever Turkey does.”
Charles
Michel, the Belgian prime minister, said media freedom was
“untouchable,” while his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel
said: “It
can’t be that just because of the migration crisis we throw other
values out of the window, like freedom of the press.”
Turkey,
which successfully negotiated a doubling of a multibillion-dollar EU
aid package to tackle the refugee crisis, as well as a promise of
visa-free travel, says it has the right to take legal action against
journalists.
"Turkey
has the right to question those who take part in a clear coup
attempt, whether economic or journalistic, against an elected
government," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said while on a trip
to Tehran.
"There
is a legal process examining charges of political operations,
including funneling illegal monies. We have never intervened in the
legal process," he
said.
Critics
of Ankara say it is using the refugee crisis to shield itself from
European criticism.
“Right
now, they need Erdogan,” said
Selahattin Demirtas, the Kurdish leader of the HDP (People’s
Democratic Party).
“He
uses the refugee crisis to blackmail the EU,” he
added. “This
crisis should not become a business deal.”
Erdogan
and Gulen used to be political allies, but became bitter foes in
2013, when police officials and prosecutors reportedly sympathetic to
Gulen opened a corruption investigation into Erdogan's inner circle.
The investigation was quashed, but resulted in a cabinet reshuffle
and mass protests in Turkey.
Taleof 2 Zamans: Turkey’s opposition paper vows to keep printing inGermany after govt crackdown
Turkey’s
top-selling opposition newspaper, Zaman, which has been “forcibly
taken over” by the Turkish government, will continue publishing as
an independent daily in Germany, editor-in-chief of Zaman Almanya
(Zaman Germany) has vowed.
Speaking
to Reuters TV, Zaman Almanya’s editor-in-chief, Sueleyman Bag, said
the current print version of Zaman in Turkey “has nothing to do
with Zaman there because it has been forcibly taken over by the
state.”
“We
will print an independent newspaper. We still have not addressed the
question of how we do that. This is a new challenge for us,” Bag
said. Zaman Almanya’s print edition in Germany, which is home to a
large Turkish community, has 14,300 subscribers.
Listen to the faceless EU bureaucrat: "I don't like what I read in Zaman". I bet! They tell the truth abour Turkey
Listen to the faceless EU bureaucrat: "I don't like what I read in Zaman". I bet! They tell the truth abour Turkey
‘We continue working despite fear’ – Turkish journalist
The popular Zaman newspaper was seized by the government on Friday - it was a known voice of opposition to President Erdogan's ruling party. European officials say it won't do much for Ankara's bid to join the EU. RT's Paula Slier talked to other opposition journalists in Turkey - to find out what they think about the media crackdown.
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