Journalists protest after Turkey closes down critical TV station.
ADVERTISEMENTTurkish journalists have staged a protest in Istanbul after the government closed several radio and TV channels on charges of spreading “terrorist propaganda”.
The post-coup crack-down has continued since July 15. The state of emergency giving the government special powers has been extended for another three months.
UGUR GUç who is President of Turkey Journalists’ syndicate warned that the days when all opposing channels and voices are silenced awaits.
He went on to say, “Today, 23 television channels were closed, tomorrow is could be 15 more. After this, we will be forced to watch only one channel, like in the 80s. and those channels will be used for government propaganda.”
VIDEO: Turkish police storm offices of critical radio and TV stations, detain staff || https://t.co/8JF0oluuhKpic.twitter.com/7deaiwu8H8
— Turkey Purge (@TurkeyPurge) October 4, 2016
The shut down of one station that of IMC TV was captured live as police forced their way into the offices.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to take unprecedented steps to rid the state of perceived enemies. Last week a government decree closed 11 radio stations for “ harming national security.”
The police themselves have also been culled. On their website it announced that nearly 13,000 officers had been suspended due to suspected links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating the attempted d coup.
Turkey suspends 12,800 cops – 2,523 of them police chiefs – in ongoing post-coup purge https://t.co/kq6TMnFsnF
— BrinleyBruton (@BrinleyBruton) October 4, 2016
Since the coup attempt, around 100,000 people have been removed from posts across the country.