Turkish police have raided a newspaper and TV station close to a US-based Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen.
There were raids across Turkey and at least 14 people were arrested, Turkish media reported.
Mr Gulen is a rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His Hizmet movement has millions of supporters.
The latest move comes days after President Erdogan pledged a fresh campaign against Mr Gulen's supporters.
Those detained include journalists, producers, scriptwriters and a police chief in eastern Turkey.
They have been charged with conspiracy and a plot to fabricate evidence
Police raided the offices of the Zaman newspaper in the early hours of Sunday. A crowd of protestors forced police to turn back before they could make arrests.
Staff at the paper reported on the incident as it happened.
The paper's editor-in-chief tweeted a picture of himself at his desk, saying: "Officers [forced] back because of democratic reaction of my friends. I am at my place and wait."
Analysis by Mark Lowen, BBC News, IstanbulThe timing of these arrests isn't coincidental. It's almost a year to the day since the biggest corruption scandal in Turkey's modern history exploded. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, now president, was targeted, along with his inner circle. Four ministers were forced to resign. It was widely believed the government wouldn't survive.
Extraordinarily, Mr Erdogan managed to turn it around, declaring war on what he called a "parallel state": followers of his one-time ally Fetullah Gulen who he said were plotting a coup. He used every tool he could muster, firing thousands of police officers and prosecutors, launching an endless tirade in the media that he's ensured is widely pro-government, and closing ranks within his party, sidelining dissidents. This is stage two: arresting the critics.
Turkey already ranks 154th of 180 in the press freedom index of the body Reporters without Borders. Concerns have been raised by human rights organisations that freedom of expression is under attack in this, a candidate for EU membership.
But the Turkish government says it's a conspiracy against a country that won't tow the West's line. It dismisses concerns, talking of the "enemy within" which must be eradicated. Today's move will fuel international concerns of an eroding democracy here.
Separately, the top executive at a TV channel close to Mr Gulen was arrested.
Staff at Zaman had been expecting the raid after details of the swoop were leaked by a Twitter user known as Fuat Avni, who has previously leaked details of police operations in advance.
The police operation comes a year after corruption allegations against allies of Mr Erdogan emerged. He said it was a plot orchestrated by Mr Gulen supporters to topple him.
Mr Gulen denied this. He has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999.
Hizmet movement- Hizmet ("service") is the Turkish name for what is commonly known as the Gulen movement
- The movement is inspired by the teachings of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the US
- Gulen is a mainstream Sunni Hanafi Muslim scholar, influenced by Anatolian Sufism
- There is no formal structure but Hizmet followers are numbered in the millions, spread across more than 150 countries
- First expanded into Central Asia after the USSR's demise in 1991
Gulen: Powerful but reclusive cleric
Profile: Hizmet movement
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Turkey raids opposition-linked media
Dengan url
http://worldartikelku.blogspot.com/2014/12/turkey-raids-opposition-linked-media.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Turkey raids opposition-linked media
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Turkey raids opposition-linked media
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar