WorldMozaic - Dozens of Journalists Supporting Gulen Began Trial
A total of 30 journalists and executives of the Zaman Turkish Daily who were muzzled last year, began trial on Monday (07/18/2017).
They were accused of being a member of the terror organization and intends to overthrow the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Government. The once known daily in Turkey was accused of supporting the opposition movement Fethullah Gulen who now lives in exile in Pennsylvania, USA, with the threat of dead sentence.
There are three serious accusations against the journalists. First, to overthrow the Turkish constitution, which is legitimate. Overthrow Turkish parliament and Turkish government. The Zaman newspaper was also accused of over-exploiting freedom of the press and freedom of expression. For this reason, the daily was muzzled in March 2016, through a presidential decree, before a military coup.
A total of 22 journalists have been detained for several months, including Sahin Alpay, a columnist. "If the Gulen movement were to play a role in the coup, I would not write a column on the Zaman Times," Sahin Alpay told Dogan, Turkish news agency.
Meanwhile, Ali Bulac, another Turkish columnist admits that the Gülen organization is a terrorist organization. "But I was never a member," Ali Bulac told a court hearing in Silivri Prison, about 60 kilometers west of Istanbul. "I do not see a hole below, when I see stars in the sky," Ali Bulac said, explaining that while working in Zaman, the Gulen group has not been declared a forbidden organization.
The Turkish Justice Department said last July that 50,000 have been arrested, and another 169 thousand are considered breaking the law since the coup attempt failed last year.
Human rights groups said more than 160 journalists are being held in Turkey, the largest in the world. The next trial will be held next week.
A total of 30 journalists and executives of the Zaman Turkish Daily who were muzzled last year, began trial on Monday (07/18/2017).
They were accused of being a member of the terror organization and intends to overthrow the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Government. The once known daily in Turkey was accused of supporting the opposition movement Fethullah Gulen who now lives in exile in Pennsylvania, USA, with the threat of dead sentence.
There are three serious accusations against the journalists. First, to overthrow the Turkish constitution, which is legitimate. Overthrow Turkish parliament and Turkish government. The Zaman newspaper was also accused of over-exploiting freedom of the press and freedom of expression. For this reason, the daily was muzzled in March 2016, through a presidential decree, before a military coup.
A total of 22 journalists have been detained for several months, including Sahin Alpay, a columnist. "If the Gulen movement were to play a role in the coup, I would not write a column on the Zaman Times," Sahin Alpay told Dogan, Turkish news agency.
Meanwhile, Ali Bulac, another Turkish columnist admits that the Gülen organization is a terrorist organization. "But I was never a member," Ali Bulac told a court hearing in Silivri Prison, about 60 kilometers west of Istanbul. "I do not see a hole below, when I see stars in the sky," Ali Bulac said, explaining that while working in Zaman, the Gulen group has not been declared a forbidden organization.
The Turkish Justice Department said last July that 50,000 have been arrested, and another 169 thousand are considered breaking the law since the coup attempt failed last year.
Human rights groups said more than 160 journalists are being held in Turkey, the largest in the world. The next trial will be held next week.