This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35730041
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Turkey police raid critical Zaman newspaper in Istanbul | Turkey police raid critical Zaman newspaper in Istanbul |
(about 2 hours 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 says Hizmet is 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. | Mr Gulen was once an ally of Mr Erdogan but the two fell out. |
Many Hizmet supporters have been arrested. | |
The government in Ankara has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists. | |
'End of democracy' | |
The court ruled on Friday that Zaman, a high-circulation newspaper, should now be run by administrators. No explanation was given. | The court ruled on Friday that Zaman, a high-circulation newspaper, should now be run by administrators. No explanation was given. |
Later, hundreds 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. | Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters. |
In a tweet, Zaman journalist Emre Soncan wrote: "Turkey's government confiscated one of the country's last critical voices, #Zaman Daily.. The end of democracy.." | |
His colleague Abdullah Ayasun tweeted: "An army of riot police inside Zaman. They threw me out." | |
Earlier, Zaman said Turkey was going through its "darkest and gloomiest days in terms of freedom of the press". | Earlier, Zaman said Turkey was going through its "darkest and gloomiest days in terms of freedom of the press". |
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". | 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". |
The move against Zaman comes days after Turkey's Constitutional Court ordered the release from detention of two Turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets. | |
Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, were detained in November over a report alleging that the Turkish government had tried to ship arms to Islamists in Syria. | |
The pair still face possible life sentences at their trial on 25 March. | |
Last year, two newspapers and two television channels were put under state administration over their alleged links with the Hizmet movement. | |
Freedom of the press in Turkey | Freedom of the press in Turkey |
Press freedom 'a major concern' | Press freedom 'a major concern' |