Erdogan Closes 130 Media Organizations, Arrests CEO Of Oil Company

Share:

As Europe’s “democratic institutions” continue to stick their collective heads in the sand, pretending to ignore Erdogan’s unprecedented crackdown against every political opponent as well as tens of thousands of people who have nothing to do with politics, Turkey’s post-putsch purge of dissent reached deeper into the economy as authorities shuttered scores of media outlets, detained the head of a major oil company and banned the chief strategist of a leading brokerage.

More than 130 media organizations, including 16 television broadcasters, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers were ordered to shut down in a decree published late Wednesday. The Cihan news agency, which has more than 500 employees, and the newspapers Taraf, Zaman and its English-language Today’s Zaman were among them.

This is in addition to the almost 16,000 Turks who have been detained in the post-coup sweep, about half of whom are awaiting trial. Turkey has also suspended or removed at least 60,000 people from jobs in the military, security services, judiciary, Finance Ministry and academia since the failed July 15-16 coup.

It did not give the names of the media outlets to be closed, but according to a list obtained by the CNN-Turk channel they include mainly provincial titles as well as some well-known national media. These include the Cihan news agency, the pro-Kurdish IMC TV and the opposition daily newspaper Taraf.

Also to be shut are the Zaman newspaper and its Today’s Zaman English language sister publication which, like Cihan, were part of a holding linked to Gulen until being put into state administration earlier this year. Authorities handed out arrest warrants for 42 journalists earlier this week and on Wednesday issued another 47 for former Zaman staff. – READ MORE

Share:
No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

2021 © True Pundit. All rights reserved.