Turkish security forces have raided the offices of a newspaper and TV station close to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, detaining 23 people in arrests across the country.
The raids come after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that he would be targeting Gulen's supporters, whose Hizmet movement has millions of supporters.
Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu television were targeted by the raids, with journalists scriptwriters and two former police chiefs amongst those arrested. The editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper tweeted a photo of himself sitting at his office desk, after a crowd of protestors beat back police who attempted to arrest him.
"The person to be detained is waiting here. Please come and get [me]. I'm waiting for you here," he said in a speech to his supporters.
The arrested have reportedly been charged with “forming a gang to try and seize state sovereignty”.
Turkey, a candidate to join the European Union, currently ranks 154th of 180 in the press freedom index of the body Reporters without Borders.
The raids come after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that he would be targeting Gulen's supporters, whose Hizmet movement has millions of supporters.
Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu television were targeted by the raids, with journalists scriptwriters and two former police chiefs amongst those arrested. The editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper tweeted a photo of himself sitting at his office desk, after a crowd of protestors beat back police who attempted to arrest him.
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"The person to be detained is waiting here. Please come and get [me]. I'm waiting for you here," he said in a speech to his supporters.
The arrested have reportedly been charged with “forming a gang to try and seize state sovereignty”.
Turkey, a candidate to join the European Union, currently ranks 154th of 180 in the press freedom index of the body Reporters without Borders.