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Turkey seizes control of Zaman newspaper critical of President Erdogan Turkish riot police with tear gas raid country's biggest newspaper
(about 7 hours later)
Turkey is facing a barrage of criticism from writers and campaigners after seizing control of a national newspaper critical of the government of President Erdogan.  Police using tear gas and water cannons raided the headquarters of Turkey's largest-circulation newspaper, hours after a court placed it under the management of trustees.
An Istanbul court has ordered Feza Gazetecilik, a media group that publishes dailies Zaman and Today’s Zaman, to be placed under a "trustee panel" from today, sparking outrage from journalists.  Officers dispersed protesters who had gathered outside of the opposition Zaman newspaper's Istanbul headquarters before entering the building to escort the court-appointed managers and evict newspaper workers.
A joint letter signed by writers and artists, and published by UK-based Index on Censorship, called the move an attempt to stifle the free press in Turkey. The court decision against the newspaper, which is linked to a US-based cleric who is opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has heightened concerns over deteriorating press freedoms in Turkey and sparked international outrage.
The Zaman papers are highly critical of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, running daily stories of government scandals.  The legal action came as the government has intensified a campaign against the moderate Islamic movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Zaman editor-in-chief Abdülhamit Bilici vowed that “free media would not be silenced", the Daily Hurriyet News reported. It accuses the movement of attempting to bring down the government.
“I believe that democracy will continue, free media will not be silenced and in whatever way necessary the free media will continue, even by writing on the walls if necessary,” he said. The case was brought by a public prosecutor in Istanbul and meant the editorial board and management were replaced by people named by the court.
Today’s Zaman editor-in-chief Sevgi Akarçeşme called the day “shameful for media freedom in the country”. The move, which also affects Zaman's sister newspaper, English-language Today's Zaman, and a news agency linked to the group, further reduces the pool of opposition television and newspapers in the country, which is dominated by pro-government television channels and newspapers.
The papers are aligned with the Hizmet movement led by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally-turned-foe of Erdogan who has since fled Turkey to America after he was accused of running a parallel government in Turkey.  Zaman editor-in-chief Abdulhamit Bilici had addressed his colleagues on the grounds of the newspaper before police stormed the building, calling the court decision a “black day for democracy” in Turkey.
Turkish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest and placed him on a list of most-wanted terrorists.  Today's Zaman chief editor, Sevgi Akarcesme, broadcast the police raid on Periscope before police confiscated her phone.
The Index letter, published in both English and Turkish, reads: “Today Turkey seized one of the country’s leading newspapers, Zaman.  The court decision sparked international outrage.
"In so doing, Turkey has confirmed that it is no longer committed to a free press, which is the bedrock of any democratic society." “I see this as an extremely serious interference with media freedom which should have no place in a democratic society,” said Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights.
It adds: "We, the undersigned, ask the court to reverse its decision to seize Zaman and urge the international community to speak out against Turkey’s repeated attempts to stifle a free and independent media.” “It is the latest in a string of unacceptable and undue restrictions of media freedom in Turkey.”
The letter was signed by Index chair and journalist David Aaronovitch, Christophe Deloire, executive director of Reporters Without Borders, and artist Molly Crabapple, along with other writers and academics.  Reporters without Borders issued a strongly-worded statement, accusing Mr Erdogan of “moving from authoritarianism to all-out despotism”.
The Turkish government has gone after Zaman before, arresting senior journalists in December 2014 on terrorism charges. Mr Gulen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, was once Mr Erdogan's ally but the two have fallen out.
The government accuses the Gulen movement of orchestrating corruption allegations in December 2013 against ministers and people close to Mr Erdogan as a plot to overthrow it.
The authorities have since branded the movement a terror organisation, although it is not known to have carried out acts of violence.
Mr Gulen was placed on trial in absentia last year on charges of attempting to topple the government.
The government has cracked down on the movement since, purging civil servants suspected of ties to it, and businesses have been seized.
PA