Hundreds protest jailing of 2 journalists in Turkey over Syria smuggling reports
World
Hundreds protest jailing of 2 journalists in Turkey over Syria smuggling reports
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Istanbul office of an opposition newspaper Friday, accusing the government of silencing critics and attempting to cover-up a scandal after two journalists were jailed on terror and espionage charges for their reports on alleged Turkish arms smuggling to Syria. Cumhuriyet newspaper’s editor-in-chief Can Dundar and the paper’s Ankara representative Erdem Gul, were sent to a prison in Istanbul late on Thursday, accused of willingly aiding a terror organization and revealing state secrets.
The investigation, criminal charges, and arrest raise serious concerns about the Turkish government’s commitment to the fundamental principle of media freedom.
Mark C. Toner, deputy U.S. State Department spokesman, in a statement that the U.S. is troubled by the arrests.
The incident comes amid deepening concerns over media freedoms in Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union. In May, the paper published what it said were images of Turkish trucks carrying ammunition to Syrian militants. Cumhuriyet said the images were proof that Turkey was smuggling arms to rebels in Syria. Prosecutors launched an investigation into the journalists after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed a criminal complaint. The U.S. Embassy expressed concern over the arrests of Dundar and Erdem and at the apparent pressure being exerted on Cumhuriyet.
