Turkey: 42 Journalists Under Probe Over Failed Coup

Dozens of journalists are under investigation for possible links to the attempted July 15 coup in Turkey report said on Monday.

Among the 42 reporters is Nazli Ilicak, a prominent critic of the current regime.

It is not clear if any of those being investigated have been detained.

All the journalists being probed have links to media owned by Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric who was accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of organising last week coup.

Ilicak worked for Sabah, a newspaper with government ties, until the end of 2013, when she demanded that several ministers from the mildly Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) step down amid corruption scandal.

AKP members said that the corruption allegations were a conspiracy organised by Gulen, who was once a close ally of Erdogan, but has in recent years been accused of multiple plots by the government.

Thousands of Gulenists have been cleared from government jobs in recent years, a process that has escalated since the coup.

Ilicak has also worked for the newspaper Bugun, which was considered to be associated with Gulen.

The government took over Bugun last year, changed its editorial direction and then shut it down, one of several media outlets that have come under fire in Turkey in recent years.

Credit: dailytrust

Face Behind Failed Turkey Coup Revealed

The Turkish government has indicted an influential Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who has been in exile in Pennsylvania, United States of America, since 1999, as the mastermind of the botched July 15 coup allegedly staged by a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces in some cities of Turkey, particularly in Ankara and Istanbul.

The indictment was made on Tuesday by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hakan Cakil, during a press briefing with journalists in Abuja.

The ambassador, who noted that peace has since returned to the country owing to the strong resistance put up by the citizens of the country, however vowed that any person found guilty would be made to face the full wrath of the country’s constitution.

“This coup attempt was staged by the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). Our government has been constantly exposing the real motives of this terrorist group and its leader, Fethullah Gülen, to all allies and partners. The failed coup is the latest criminal act revealing the danger posed by FETÖ”.

“Our President, Prime Minister, Government and Members of Turkish Grand National Assembly and the Turkish people all together defeated this coup attempt and stood by democracy and rule of law.

“The terrorists will be punished in accordance with the law”, the ambassador said.

Credit: Thisday