Turkey says detains 1000 secret imams in police purge
U.S - Media freedom has never been so under threat, with even “model” democracies losing their way in a “new era of post-truth,” Reporters Without Borders says.
“In sickening statements, draconian laws, conflicts of interest, and even the use of physical violence, democratic governments are trampling on a freedom that should, in principle, be one of their leading performance indicators,” said the group, also known by its French acronym, RSF. RSF’s annual index of 180 countries ranked Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands at the top for press freedom, Syria, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and finally authoritarian North Korea at the bottom of the list. The latest index “reflects a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise,” the group said, and highlighted the decline of press freedom in democracies as a potential “tipping point.” “The democracies that have traditionally regarded media freedom as one of the foundations on which they are built must continue to be a model for the rest of the world, and not the opposite,” RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said in a statement. “If media freedom is not secure, then none of the other freedoms can be guaranteed.”
(CNN.COM) TURKEY - Turkish authorities arrested more than 1000 people yesterday they said had secretly infiltrated police forces across the country on behalf of a US-based cleric blamed by the government for a failed coup attempt last July. The nationwide sweep was one of the largest operations in months against suspected supporters of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Tayyip Erdogan who is now accused by the government of trying to topple him by force. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the overnight crackdown targeted a Gulen network “that infiltrated our police force, called ‘secret imams’. “One thousand and nine secret imams have been detained so far in 72 provinces, and the operation is ongoing,” he told reporters in Ankara.
In the aftermath of the failed July coup, authorities arrested 40000 people and sacked or suspended 120000 from a wide range of professions including soldiers, police, teachers and public servants, over alleged links with terrorist groups. The latest detentions came 10 days after voters narrowly backed plans to expand Erdogan’s already wide powers in a referendum which opposition parties and European election observers said was marred by irregularities. The referendum bitterly divided Turkey. Erdogan’s critics fear further drift into authoritarianism, with a leader they see as bent on eroding modern Turkey’s democracy and secular foundations. Erdogan argues that strengthening the presidency will avert instability associated with coalition governments, at a time when Turkey faces multiple challenges including security threats from Islamist and Kurdish militants. “In Turkey, there was an attempted coup with a goal of toppling the government and destroying the state,” he told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. “We are trying to cleanse members of FETO inside the armed forces, inside the judiciary and inside the police,” he said, using an acronym for the label, Gulenist Terrorist Organisation, which the government has given to Gulen’s supporters.
(Reuters.com)