Today In Crackdown

VIDEO: Turkish special operations forces raid law office, arrest attorneys

Newly emerged video footage shows the moment a group of Turkish special operations forces raid a law office in Ankara early on Saturday and detain every lawyer in the room by force. In the 18-second video, viewed hundreds of times on YouTube and Twitter, special operations members with heavy armor enter the Progressive Lawyers’ Association’s (ÇHD) […]

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Police seal off 370 foundation buildings shuttered by gov’t decree across Turkey

Hours after Turkey’s Interior Ministry announced that the activities of 370 foundations have been halted based on emergency rule currently in force in the country, Turkish police have reportedly begun sealing off the buildings of shuttered foundations in İstanbul and Ankara. A group of Turkish special operations forces raided a law office in Ankara early on Saturday, detained

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Erdoğan directly appoints rector for first time to Turkey’s Boğaziçi University

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed Prof. Dr. Mehmed Özkan as the new rector of Istanbul’s prestigious Boğaziçi University, even though university academics elected Prof. Dr. Gülay Barbarosoğlu as rector four months ago. Erdoğan selected Özkan from among three names recommended by the Higher Education Board (YÖK), according to a statement on presidential website on

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Turkish court arrests Cumhuriyet CEO Akın Atalay

The İstanbul 9th Penal Court of Peace on Saturday arrested Akin Atalay, the chief executive officer of Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Atalay was detained early on Friday at Istanbul Ataturk Airport after arriving from Berlin. An Istanbul court ruled for Atalay’s arrest last week, but police did not find him

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Turkish police detains Cumhuriyet CEO Atalay in Istanbul

Turkish police detained the chief executive of Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday. According to the agency, CEO Akin Atalay was detained at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Atalay was reportedly detained after arriving from Berlin. An Istanbul court called for Atalay’s arrest last week, but police did not find him at

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94 more teachers, businesspeople arrested in Turkey purge

In Turkey’s relentless witch-hunt against perceived sympathizes of the Gülen movement, a total of 94 people were detained in a number of provinces on Friday, while seven were arrested in police raids in Manisa. Part of a purge that gained momentum following a July 15 coup attempt, the police raided several locations in Bursa province

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Imprisoned Cumhuriyet columnists say all they did was journalism

In messages sent through Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Şafak Pavey and Sezgin Tanrıkulu, who paid a visit to imprisoned Cumhuriyet columnists and executives on Thursday, the jailed journalists said that all they did was journalism and they are being held on nonsense charges. Nine Cumhuriyet staff members joined the ranks of nearly 150 journalists

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Turkish police detain French journalist in southern Turkey

Turkish police detained Olivier Bertrand, a French journalist working for a Paris-based website, while reporting in southern Gaziantep province, the manager of the website reported on Friday. Head of French news website lesjours.fr announced that Bertrand was taken into police custody along with a photographer who was later released. “No reason has been given for

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Turkey jails 2 more journalists for ‘insulting’ Erdoğan, brings total to 144

A Turkish journalist was arrested on Tuesday night for allegedly “insulting” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while another one arrested on the same day over “disseminating propaganda” on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Journalists Togay Okay from Özgür Gelecek daily and freelance reporter Ayhan Karahan were jailed by Turkish courts. With these arrests, the total number

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Another ‘coup suspect’ found dead in Turkish prison, brings total to 21

Burak Açıkalın, an engineer who was dismissed from Turkey’s Directorate of Intelligence and arrested following a failed coup on July 15 due to alleged involvement in the attempt, was found dead on Thursday in a prison in Turkey’s Kırıkkale province. Pro-gov’t Hürriyet daily reported that Açıkalın committed suicide in his cell. Açıkalın’s death has been

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