Turkey seeks arrests at opposition newspaper Sozcu

21 May 2017 6 years old
Turkey seeks arrests at opposition newspaper Sozcu
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Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for the owner and three employees of the opposition daily Sozcu. The office of the newspaper was raided yesterday.

Officials accuse the newspaper of supporting people allegedly involved in last July’s failed coup. The newspaper is accused of having ties to the so-called “Hizmet” movement led by the self-exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkish authorities blame Gulen, a former government ally, and his followers for the failed coup last July. A pro-government newspaper reported that the suspects were wanted in connection with an online article published on the same day as the attempted coup, saying it could have facilitated “a real attack on the president.”

Sozcu is the second high-circulation daily newspaper to be targeted by Turkish authorities after another leading opposition newspaper, Cumhuriyet, saw 20 staff members charged under the state of emergency imposed after the coup attempt. Turkish authorities have arrested over 150 journalists since the attempted putsch.

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