Turkey's media purge after the failed coup d'état on July 15, 2016 resulted in the shutdown of at least 131 media outlets and the arrest of 117 journalists – at least 35 of whom have been indicted for "membership in a terror group".
In the wake of the attempted putsch, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government closed down media companies linked to exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen and his Hizmet Movement. Turkey's General Directorate for Press, Broadcasting, and Information also revoked at least 620 journalists' accreditations.
As a result of the crackdown, 2,308 media workers and journalists have lost their job. Turkey's media purge has also occurred online: regulators blocked at least 30 news-related websites. Websites not linked to Gülen's movement, such as Wikileaks and the Turkish satirical weekly Leman, are among those blocked inside Turkey. In addition 48 online news stories from outlets including The Independent have been censored. Three stories were about corruptions allegations involving the president's son Bilal Erdogan.
On Thursday July 21, six days after the failed coup d’état, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill declaring a state of emergency allowing the government to rule by decree for three months. On the same day, Erdogan announced that the European Convention on Human Rights had been suspended.
Under the Turkish constitution, during a state of emergency, the government can overturn the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms, as long as it respects international laws. However, the 15th article of the Turkish Constitution states that the ECHR cannot be suspended.
In this context, President Erdogan initiated a purge of media and journalists suspected of sympathy with Gulen's Hizmet movement. On July 27th, Erdogan published a decree in Turkey’s official gazette, ordering the shutdown of three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishing houses (see list below).
By the force of the state of emergency, “all goods, assets, rights, documents and papers [belonging to those media outlets] will be transferred, free of charge, to Turkish treasury with no appeal to be made”. Also, 89 arrest warrants were issued for journalists who were alleged plotters in the failed attempt to overthrow the government.
During the same week, 17 journalists were charged with membership in Gülen’s movement, which the government considers a terrorist group. On August 5, this number increased to 36 journalists indicted for the same charge. The Turkish government justified the arrests for security reasons and said the journalists were being investigated and prosecuted for participating in criminal activities. On August 27, the Platform for Independent Journalism (P24), a press freedom group, said the number of journalists arrested since the coup was 108.
Press freedom groups have condemned the crackdown. The Turkish representative for Reporters Without Borders called the arrests “a witch hunt against journalists". David Kaye, the UN special rapporteur on the right to freedom of expression said that “the attempted coup cannot justify such a broad attack against almost all voices, not just critical ones but analytic and journalistic."
“The disregard for any assurance of due process is flagrant and only contributes to the extreme levels of insecurity affecting all those working to inform people of the ongoing crisis in the country,” said Dunja Mijatović, the media freedom representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s representative on media freedom.
The Committee to Protect Journalist’s program coordinator for central Asia, Nina Ognianova, said that the “scale of this rout of the media is staggering.” She added: “The government is exploiting a failed coup to silence the critical press when Turkey most needs pluralistic media.”
The Turkey director at Human Rights Watch, Emma Sinclair-Webb, added to the criticism “In the absence of any evidence of their role or participation in the violent attempt to overthrow the government, we strongly condemn this accelerated assault on the media, which further undermines Turkey’s democratic credentials”, she said.
(Most are charged for membership to Gulen’s movement, some for being pro-PKK)
Mümtaz'er Türköne, a former columnist for the shuttered newspaper Zaman and its sister, English-language publication Today's Zaman, who stands accused of "serving the goals" of the Hizmet movement
Alaattin Güner faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Şeref Yılmaz, vice-chair of the broadcaster Irmak TV's board of directors, faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, vice-president of Cihan Media, faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Faruk Akkan, news editor for Cihan News Agency, faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Mehmet Özdemir faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Fevzi Yazıcı, a former design editor for Zaman and a columnist for the daily Yarına Bakış, faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Zafer Özsoy faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Cuma Kayaand faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Hakan Taşdelen faces charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization"
Hüseyin Turan, a shareholder in the Feza Media Group, faces charges of "aiding a terrorist organization without being a member"
Murat Avcıoğlu faces charges of "aiding a terrorist organization without being a member"
Ayşenur Parlak: former Zaman newspaper reporter
Erdal Şen, former Ankara correspondent for the daily newspaper Habertürk
Arda Akın, a journalist for the daily newspaper Hürriyet
Aslı Erdoğan, columnist and a member of the suspended, pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem's publishing board
Bilir Kaya, editor: of Özgür Gündem, the pro-Kurdish newspaper reported on its website
İnan Kızılkaya, news editor Özgür Gündem
Ercan Gün former Fox TV news editor
Erdem Mühirci, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DİHA)
Necmiye Alpay, a writer, linguist, and member of the publishing board of the shuttered, pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Özgür Gündem
Sabahattin Koyuncu, province correspondent for the pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DİHA)
Arap Turan, pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem
Ferit Toprak, pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem
Mutlu Çölgeçen, columnist for the defunct Meydan newspaper Atilla Taş
Nazlı Ilıcak. a columnist with the defunct newspaper Özgür Düşünce, and a commentator for the defunct broadcaster Can Erzincan TV
Seyit Kılıç, a reporter for the state broadcaster TRT
Bayram Kaya, reporter for the defunct daily newspaper Yeni Hayat
Cihan Acar, a photojournalist with the defunct daily newspaper Bugün
Bünyamin Köseli, a reporter for the defunct news magazine Aksiyon
Emre Soncan, a reporter for the defunct daily Zaman
Mustafa Erkan Acar, a reporter with the defunct Cihan News Agency
Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu reporter formerly with the daily newspaper Zaman
Abdullah Kılıç, formerly with Habertürk TV, and the recently closed daily newspaper Meydan
Habip Güler, a former reporter for Zaman
Cuma Ulus, a former coordinator of the defunct daily newspaper Millet
Hanım Büşra Erdal, a former reporter for Zaman, currently with Özgür Düşünce
Hüseyin Aydın, a former reporter for the Cihan News Agency
Haşim Söylemez, a reporter formerly with Zaman and Aksiyon
Ali Akkuş, a former editor of Zaman
Yakup Çetin, a former reporter for Zaman
Ufuk Şanlı, a columnist formerly with the daily Vatan, currently with the US-based website Al-Monitor
Ali Bulaç, from Zaman
Şahin Alpay, from Zaman
Ahmet Turan Alkan, from Zaman
Mustafa Ünal, from Zaman
Nuriye Ural, from Zaman
Lalezer Sarıibrahimoğlu (pen name: Lale Kemal), from Zaman
Source:
News Agencies
Cihan Haber Ajansı
Muhabir Haber Ajansı
SEM Haber Ajans
TV Channels
Barış TV
Bugün TV
Can Erzincan TV
Dünya TV
HİRA TV
Irmak TV
Kanal 124
Kanaltürk
MC TV
Mehtap TV
Samanyolu Haber
Merkür TV
Samanyolu TV
SRT Televizyonu
Tuna Shopping TV
Yumurcak TV
Radio Stations
Aksaray Mavi Radyo
Aktüel Radyo
Berfin FM
Burç FM
Cihan Radyo
Dünya Radyo
Esra Radyo
Haber Radyo Ege
Herkül FM
Jest FM 1
Kanaltürk Radyo
Radyo
Radyo Aile Rehberi
Radyo Bamteli
Radyo Cihan
Radyo Fıkıh
Radyo Küre
Radyo Mehtap
Radyo Nur
Radyo Şemşik
Samanyolu Haber Radyosu
Umut FM
Yağmur FM
Newspapers (local)
Adana Haber Gazetesi
Adana Medya Gazetesi
Akdeniz Türk
Şuhut'un Sesi Gazetesi
Kurtuluş Gazetesi
Lider Gazetesi
İscehisar Durum Gazetesi
Türkeli Gazetesi
Antalya Gazetesi
Yerel Bakış Gazetesi
Nazar
Batman Gazetesi
Batman Postası Gazetesi
Batman Doğuş Gazetesi
Bingöl Olay Gazetesi
İrade Gazetesi
İskenderun Olay Gazetesi
Ekonomi
Ege'de Son Söz Gazetesi
Demokrat Gebze
Kocaeli Manşet
Bizim Kocaeli
Haber Kütahya Gazetesi
Gediz Gazetesi
Zafer Gazetesi
Hisar Gazetesi
Turgutlu Havadis Gazetesi
Milas Feza Gazetesi
Türkiye'de Yeni Yıldız Gazetesi
Hakikat Gazetesi
Urfa Haber Ajansı Gazetesi
Ajans
Gazetesi
Yeni Emek
Banaz Postası Gazetesi
Son Nokta Gazetesi
Merkür Haber Gazetesi
Newspapers (national)
Millet Gazetesi
Bugün Gazetesi
Meydan Gazetesi
Özgür Düşünce Gazetesi
Taraf
Yarına Bakış
Yeni Hayat
Zaman Gazetesi
Today's Zaman
Magazines
Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi
Aksiyon
Asya Pasifik Dergisi
Bisiklet Çocuk Dergisi
Diyalog Avrasya Dergisi
Ekolife Dergisi
Ekoloji Dergisi
Fountain Dergisi
Gonca Dergisi
Gül Yaprağı Dergisi
Nokta
Sızıntı
Yağmur Dergisi
Yeni Ümit
Zirve Dergisi
Publishing Houses and Distribution Companies
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Burak Basın Yayın Dağıtım
Define Yayınları
Dolunay Eğitim Yayın Dağıtım
Giresun Basın Yayın Dağıtım
Gonca Yayınları
Gülyurdu Yayınları
GYV Yayınları
Işık Akademi
Işık Özel Eğitim Yayınlar
Işık Yayınları
İklim Basın Yayın Pazarlama
Kaydırak Yayınları
Kaynak Yayınlar
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Kuşak Yayınları
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Nil Yayınları
Rehber Yayınları
Sürat Basım Yayın Reklamcılık Eğitim Araçları
Sütun Yayınları
Şahdamar Yayınları
Ufuk Basın Yayın Haber Ajans Pazarlama
Ufuk Yayınları
Waşanxaneya Nil
Yay Basın Dağıtım
Yeni Akademi Yayınları
Yitik Hazine Yayınları
Zambak Basın Yayın Eğitim Turizm
