Altaylı: Dec. 17-25 Investigations Not Covered Due To Lack Of Free Media

Fatih Altaylı, a senior journalist and columnist at the Habertürk daily, has said that if Turkey had an independent media, the major graft investigations of 2013 would have received massive coverage.

Altaylı, in his interview with the Aksiyon magazine on Tuesday, stressed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) subdued the media because the media wields the power to bring a government's rule to an end. This also helped the government prevent the graft investigations of Dec. 17 and 25, 2013 from being covered extensively by the media.

He was one of the journalists subjected to open intimidation by the government as a result of his outspoken criticism of the government's practices.

In November of last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly accused Altaylı of carrying out a defamation campaign against the government over plans for the construction of a third airport north of İstanbul.

The journalist had written in his column that the site of the third airport should be changed because there were a number of issues with the location of the project.

He noted in particular that April 1, 2007 was a milestone for the Turkish media. This was the day that the Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), a state institution subordinate to the government, assumed control of the Sabah daily and ATV.

“Until 2007, the AK Party government portrayed itself as a government that prioritized democracy. But after 2007, things began to change. I see the confiscation of Sabah and ATV as the turning point,” said Altaylı.

He went on to say that not only is the media under pressure to pay homage to the ruling party and endorse all the deeds of the government to stay in business, so are businessmen and even ordinary citizens.

Altaylı also commented on the government-orchestrated Dec. 14 investigation of last year, during which dozens of journalists were detained -- including the editor-in-chief of the Zaman daily and the general manager of the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group.

He said he saw signals of a government crackdown on the faith-based Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement -- which Zaman and Samanyolu TV are affiliated with, long before the operation.

“I'm the first one who said the judicial package would be introduced to confiscate [the property] of the media outlets and prep schools [dershane] that are affiliated with the [Gülen] movement,” said Altaylı.

A law passed in December of last year gave the police the authority to conduct searches of individuals, households or workplaces merely based on "reasonable suspicion" instead of concrete evidence, as was the law in the past.

The law also restricts the rights of lawyers to examine the case files of their clients. In addition, judges will be able to seize the property of individuals based on "reasonable suspicion."

Immediately after the amendments introduced by the package went into effect, the police took into custody the heads of two of Turkey's leading media outlets based on “reasonable suspicion.”

‘Turkey engulfed in ring of fire'

Altaylı accused the government of making errors in its foreign policy and for the emergence of security threats along Turkey's southern and eastern borders.

Pointing out the presence of groups affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaeda in Turkey and their ability to garner sympathy in many cities, Altaylı expressed deep concern about Turkey's future.

“I am very anxious about what [ISIL and other terrorist groups] can do to Turkey and what they might do on Turkish soil. How can Turkey get out of this ring of fire? There are people in Turkey who set up offices to recruit [individuals] for ISIL; there are individuals who are affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda. Unfortunately, [ISIL and al-Qaeda] have a growing appeal for the religious youth,” said Altaylı.

He added that ISIL already sees Turkey as an enemy but has yet to decide whether to declare Turkey a warzone.

“You can contemplate what will happen if [ISIL] includes Turkey in its playing field. The porousness of our borders is a known fact. We couldn't even cope with the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK], which has 5,000 fighters,” said Altaylı.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)