| Series Title | Today's Zaman |
|---|---|
| Series Details | 04.03.16 |
| Publication Date | 04/03/2016 |
| Content Type | News |
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The decision to take over the group was issued by the İstanbul 6th Criminal Court of Peace at the request of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which claimed that the media group acted upon orders from what it called the 'Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY)'. Zaman, which is affiliated with the Gülen movement, was one of the few opposition media outlets in the country, which was dominated by pro-government television stations and newspapers. Hundreds of people protested the takeover in Istanbul. Police used tear-gas to break up protests on the 4 and 5 March 2016. By the 6 March 2016 Zaman, had published an edition carrying pro-government articles. The pro-government daily newspaper Sabah said that Zaman newspaper had close ties to the Islamic Gülen movement, which had been declared a terrorist organisation in Turkey. This community had infiltrated the state and must be fought tooth and nail. Appointing trustees to manage the Zaman daily newspaper was the latest in a string of measures initiated by the authorities to intimidate media in Turkey, Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media said on the 4 March 2016. 'Today’s decision of the authorities to appoint trustees to Zaman newspaper is deeply worrying. This move not only further threatens media pluralism in the country, but also intimidates critical voices'. In a statement the EU said on the 5 March 2016: 'The EU has repeatedly stressed that Turkey, as a candidate country, needs to respect and promote high democratic standards and practices, including freedom of the media. Free, diverse and independent media constitute one of the cornerstones of a democratic society by facilitating the free flow of information and ideas, and by ensuring transparency and accountability. Any country, and in particular those negotiating EU accession, needs to guarantee fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, and due judicial process, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)'. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland issued a statement on the 5 March 2016: 'Yesterday’s court decision to appoint trustees to Zaman media group is yet another worrying development with regard to media freedom in Turkey. The violent events in front of Zaman’s headquarters in Istanbul are also challenging. Turkey is a founding member of the Council of Europe and party to the European Convention on Human Rights to which it must abide. I call on Turkish authorities to respect their legal obligation to protect media freedom'. In a defiant last edition published just before police raided it Zaman said that Turkey's press had experienced 'one of the darkest days in its history'. The action by the Turkish authorities came at a particularly difficult and sensitive time in Turkey - EU relations as on the 7 March 2016 a crucial EU-Turkey summit meeting was due to take place in Brussels to discuss Turkey's role in dealing with migration challenges facing EU countries. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the EU to show all the necessary firmness in response to the move. 'The European Union must not settle for just reminding the Turkish authorities of the principles of media freedom', RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. 'It must exercise all of its potential leverage. There can be no question of resuming EU accession talks while Ankara visibly tramples on basic European values. If the EU continues to yield to blackmail regarding migrants, it will give the impression of abandoning the principles on which it was founded'. [Note: the source url hyperlink may not work if the new owners of Today's Zaman withdraw the online archive].A Turkish court appointed trustees on the 4 March 2016 to take over the management of the Feza Media Group, which included Turkey’s biggest-selling newspaper, the Zaman daily, as well as the Today’s Zaman daily and the Cihan news agency. This was seen as dealing a fresh blow to already threatened media freedom in Turkey. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source https://newcoldwar.org/turkish-police-raid-zaman-newspaper-office-fire-tear-gas-on-protesting-readers-as-govt-takes-over/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
