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Turkey police raid critical Zaman newspaper in Istanbul | Turkey police raid critical Zaman newspaper in Istanbul |
(35 minutes later) | |
Turkish police have raided the offices of the opposition Zaman newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it under state control. | Turkish police have raided the offices of the opposition Zaman newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it under state control. |
Police entered the building in Istanbul late on Friday, firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside. | Police entered the building in Istanbul late on Friday, firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside. |
Zaman is closely linked to the Hizmet movement of influential US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. | Zaman is closely linked to the Hizmet movement of influential US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. |
Turkey describes Hizmet as a terrorist group aiming to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. | |
Mr Gulen was once an ally of Mr Erdogan but the two fell out. | |
The government has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists. | |
Protest | |
The court ruled on Friday that Zaman, a high-circulation newspaper, should now be run by administrators. No explanation was given. | |
Later, hundred of Zaman supporters gathered outside the newspaper's offices to protest at the state takeover. One held a placard saying, "We will fight for a free press." | |
Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters. | |
Earlier, Zaman said Turkey was going through its "darkest and gloomiest days in terms of freedom of the press". | |
Editor-in-chief Sevgi Akarcesme told Reuters news agency this was "the practical end of media freedom in Turkey". | |
The US state department described the takeover as "the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government". | |
Freedom of the press in Turkey | |
Press freedom 'a major concern' |