On Wednesday (27 July), it was announced that three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 45 papers and 15 magazines will be shut as part of the crackdown.
Advertisement
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed 88 of its employees, including two ambassadors, in investigations following a failed coup attempt, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday.
Some 15,000 people that Ankara alleges to be followers of Mr. Gulen, including a third of the highest-ranking military officers, have been detained, according to a Turkish official.
Authorities handed out arrest warrants for 42 journalists earlier this week and on Wednesday issued another 47 for former Zaman staff.
At least one journalist, former Zaman columnist Sahin Alpay, was detained at his home early on Wednesday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Erdogan’s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and opposition parties, usually bitterly divided, have demonstrated a rare spirit of unity since the abortive coup and are seeking consensus on constitutional amendments partly aimed at “cleansing” the state apparatus of Gulenist supporters.
It did not give the names of those media outlets to be closed but according to a list obtained by the CNN-Turk channel they include mainly provincial titles but also some well-known national media.
Gen. Umit Dundar, the commander of Turkey’s Istanbul-based first army, was promoted to second-in-command of the military staff, an apparent reward for declaring publicly that the coup attempt was not backed by the chain of command and for taking the lead while Akar was held captive.
The rapid pace of arrests since the failed coup last Friday has anxious many of Turkey’s allies, who say they see Turkey going down an increasingly authoritarian road.
The decisions were published late Wednesday in the Official Gazette.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, on the other hand, warned the crackdown and purge unleashed after the coup attempt was not over. The Turkish government has sent an official extradition request to Washington.
The Turkish government accused Gulen of being behind the failed coup, which the preacher denies.
“The situation came to a point where local media’s fear of being arrested is leading to an increasing muzzlement of the press, thus infringing fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression and the public’s right to know”, the International Federation of Journalists said.
The Turkish army also revealed that 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation’s armed forces took part in the failed coup.
A total of 1,676 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and 1,214 military students, joined the coup attempt, the military said.
Advertisement
The government also ordered that the coast guard and the gendarmerie, the security force tasked with keeping the peace in rural areas, be removed from military control and be placed under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry, which is administered by civilian leadership.
