- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Turkish Police Bar Opposition Newspaper Staff From Entering Office

© AFP 2023 / OZAN KOSEA water cannon of the Turkish police is parked in front of the headquarters of Turkish daily newspaper Zaman in Istanbul on March 5, 2016, after Turkish authorities seized the headquarters in a midnight raid
A water cannon of the Turkish police is parked in front of the headquarters of Turkish daily newspaper Zaman in Istanbul on March 5, 2016, after Turkish authorities seized the headquarters in a midnight raid - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Turkish police did nit allow the chief editor and newspaper staff of Zaman opposition newspaper to enter blocked office of newspaper, according to Zaman's journalist Emre Soncan, as the protest enters second day.

ANKARA (Sputnik) – Turkish police are blocking Zaman opposition newspaper staff from entering the paper’s raided office building in Istanbul, the publication’s journalist said Saturday. 

​A Turkish court ordered Zaman and other outlets with the Feza Media Group on Friday to be placed under the management of government trustees. Later that day, police used tear gas and water cannons against citizens protesting the decision seen as a step to shut down Zaman. 

​"Police will not let the chief editor and newspaper staff into the Istanbul office," the newspaper's journalist Emre Soncan told RIA Novosti. 

Speaking from the daily’s Ankara office, Soncan said he expected law enforcement personnel to "throw us out like our colleagues in Istanbul."

​"Hundreds of our readers arrived this morning to support us, but we asked them to disperse fearing for their safety," Soncan stressed, calling the court decision "absolutely unlawful."

Zaman Editor-in-Chief Abdulhamit Bilici described Friday’s decision as a "black day for democracy" in Turkey.

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
A newspaper employee told the daily on Friday that police broke cameras in order to cut live footage from the headquarters.

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

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

Zaman is reportedly linked to the movement of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, which is outlawed in Turkey.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала