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| Zaman newspaper: Turkey police raid press offices in Istanbul | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Turkish police have raided the offices of Zaman, the country's biggest 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. | 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. | Many Hizmet supporters have been arrested. |
| The government in Ankara has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists. | The government in Ankara has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists. |
| 'End of democracy' | 'End of democracy' |
| The court ruled on Friday that Zaman, that has a circulation of some 650,000, 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." | 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. |
| "I believe that free media will continue even if we have to write on the walls," Zaman's editor-in-chief Abdulhamit Bilici said shortly before the raid. "I don't think it is possible to silence media in the digital age." | |
| He was speaking to the Cihan news agency, which was also affected by the court order. | |
| 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." | 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 newspaper's website was still functioning on Saturday, but did not carry news of the raid. | |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 |