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Turkish State Trustee Board Seizes Cihan News Agency

Sputnik International

Turkey’s Cihan news agency was placed under state control and access to the agency was blocked, according to Turkish opposition media. 05.03.2016, Sputnik International

2016-03-05T16:14+0000

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Turkish State Trustee Board Seizes Cihan News Agency

16:14 GMT 05.03.2016

Cihan news agency - Sputnik International

Turkey’s Cihan news agency was placed under state control and access to the agency was blocked, according to Turkish opposition media.

Riot police use tear gas to disperse protesting employees and supporters of Zaman newspaper at the courtyard of the newspaper's office in Istanbul, Turkey, late March 4, 2016 - Sputnik International

Tear Gas, Water Cannon: Turkish Police Raid Zaman Newspaper in Istanbul

4 March 2016, 23:12 GMT

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Turkey’s Cihan news agency, part of the Feza Publications media conglomerate whose Zaman opposition newspaper offices have been raided in Istanbul, was placed under state control, Today’s Zaman reported Saturday.

The latest move follows Friday’s court order to place Zaman and Feza’s other outlets under the management of government trustees.

"Cihan, the only news agency that was monitoring elections besides state-run Anadolu, now under trustee control," Today’s Zaman tweeted.

Cihan, the only news agency that was monitoring elections besides state-run Anadolu, now under trustee control pic.twitter.com/ZCi5GZBFjy
— Today's Zaman (@todayszamancom) March 5, 2016

It added that trustees blocked access to the agency after the takeover.

Smoke rises near a group of women as Turkish anti-riot police officers use tear gas to disperse supporters in front of the headquarters of the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman in Istanbul on March 5, 2016, after Turkish authorities seized the headquarters in a midnight raid - Sputnik International

RT Bureau Chief Tear-Gassed in Istanbul Amid Zaman Newspaper Protests

5 March 2016, 15:48 GMT

Turkey's clampdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech have been criticized by the international community, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization.

RSF ranks Turkey 149th out of 180 countries in press freedom.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on Western powers to press Turkish leadership to comply with European and international commitments toward freedom of expression and the media.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz said he intended to raise the press crackdown issue with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the EU-Turkey summit on Monday.