Cumhuriyet
Editor of Turkish opposition paper held in coup probe
istanbul — Turkish police on Monday detained the editor-inchief of the newspaper Cumhuriyet — a thorn in the side of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — as Ankara widens a crackdown on opposition media.
The newspaper, which had published revelations embarrassing for the government, said at least a dozen journalists and executives were detained in early morning raids.
The detentions come after Turkish authorities fired more than 10,000 civil servants at the weekend and closed 15 pro-Kurdish and other media outlets, the latest purge since July’s failed military coup.
Cumhuriyet’s editor Murat
an investigation was launched into allegations the secular daily’s output was legitimising the attempted putsch
Istanbul prosecutor
Sabuncu was detained and police were hunting for executive board chairman Akin Atalay, the official news agency Anadolu said.
The Istanbul prosecutor said an investigation had been launched into allegations the secular daily’s output was ‘legitimising’ the attempted putsch.
Demonstrators at the paper’s headquarters waved copies of Monday’s edition, which bore the headline: “Again, a coup against opposition”.
Cumhuriyet said an arrest warrant was also issued for its former editor-in-chief Can Dundar, who was sentenced to jail in May for allegedly revealing state secrets in a high-profile case that triggered alarm about the state of press freedom in Turkey.
The newspaper had accused the government of seeking to illicitly deliver arms bound for militants in Syria. Erdogan had warned Dundar he would “pay a heavy price”.
Dundar is now believed to be in Germany after he was freed earlier this year pending an appeal. —