Turkish authorities issued warrants Wednesday for the detention of 47 former executives or senior journalists at the Zaman newspaper, which was associated with the USA -based Muslim cleric who the government says is behind Turkey’s failed July 15 coup.
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Turkey urged Germany on Thursday to extradite suspects linked to US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding this month’s attempted military coup.
The paper’s management was taken over by government this March when an Istanbul court made a decision to appoint trustees for the Feza Gazetecilik Media Group, which includes Zaman.
“The prosecutors aren’t interested in what individual columnists wrote or said”, said the official, who requested anonymity.
Turkish authorities said at least 290 people died in the coup, including more than 100 “coup plotters”.
The foreign minister said Turkey wanted Gulen’s extradition process to conclude rapidly and has asked the United States to make sure he does not escape to another country.
Gulen, who heads the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) according to the Turkish government, has been residing in Pennsylvania since 1999.
Almost 16,000 people have been detained over alleged links to the uprising.
London-based rights group Amnesty International said that they represented a “draconian clampdown on freedom of expression”.
“Until now, we have not received the backing and the statements that we, the whole of Turkey, expect from these countries”, said Berat Albayrak, who is also President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law.
Arrest warrants have been issued for 47 former employees of the Zaman newspaper, a Turkish newspaper known to have strong links to the Gulenist movement.
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“Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and a candidate for European Union membership”, he added.
