Politicians Continue To Criticize Gov't Over Police Raid On Media Outlets

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli stated in a press release on Tuesday that those behind an operation that led to the detention of several media executives and journalists on Dec. 14, widely considered to be an act of retaliation for coverage of the graft probes that went public on Dec. 17 and 25 of last year, should show courage and honor by facing the courts.

“On Sunday, Dec. 14, Turkey woke up to a new operation with a wave of detentions undertaken by those [in the government] with revanchist and vengeful intentions, [those] who do care not about the law," Bahçeli stated, adding: “The detention of journalists and television producers during this raid on media outlets in Turkey, which we want to believe is governed by democracy and law, [was based upon] mind-boggling reasons -- it was an unsettling event that calls for an explanation."

Given that the operation was conducted shortly before the anniversary of two sweeping graft probes that came to the public's attention last year, speculation is rife that the operation is part of a government effort to stop the anniversary from being marked and serving as a springboard for popular protests.

In his statement, Bahçeli maintained that an amendment referred to as "the reasonable suspicion revision," which was signed into law on Dec. 12, "has borne its first fruit.” The detention of journalists and TV producers came only days after the government-sponsored bill making it possible to arrest suspects based on "reasonable suspicion" was signed into law by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The reasonable suspicion law lowers the threshold for searches and reverses a reform from February 2014 that allowed courts to grant the police the power to search people and property only when there was "strong suspicion based on concrete evidence."

“The assault and denial campaign of President Erdoğan, who was unmasked on Dec. 17 and 25, [which aims] to suppress truth, sentencing and honesty, has now reached dangerous proportions,” Bahçeli stated.

Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici said on Tuesday that what has been seen so far regarding the operation on Dec. 14 is a "comedy." Stating that Turkey's most important journalists, media personnel and TV producers are being detained for a series of fabricated scenarios, Destici criticized the government, saying, “You are treating journalists and news reporters in a way that you wouldn't even treat the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party].”

The outlawed PKK has led a campaign of guerrilla warfare and terrorism to attain political goals in the Southeast of the country, and it is categorized as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Monday: “A country like Turkey cannot be ruled by hatred and motives of revenge. The operations against the free media were carried out without any legal framework. This is a coup against democracy.”

The CHP leader also criticized Erdoğan for rejecting censure from the EU and telling the union to mind its own business. “The European Union has serious concerns regarding freedoms in Turkey. Power cannot be gained by oppression and tyranny. Only when we understand this can Turkey be on par with respectable countries on the international level,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Kılıçdaroğlu further maintained that since the Dec. 17 corruption scandal, which cost the government four ministers due to their alleged involvement in money laundering, the government has used state powers for its own benefit.

CHP group deputy chairman Akif Hamzaçebi called the Dec. 14 operation a “coup d'état against the media” on Tuesday. He stated that Erdoğan's criticism of the EU, as evidenced by the president's comment, "We have no concern about what the EU might say, whether the EU accepts us as members or not," shows that Erdoğan has never intended for Turkey to join the 28-nation bloc.

"The EU should mind its own business and keep its opinions to itself," Erdoğan said on Monday, denying that the raids had infringed on press freedom.

MHP parliamentary group chairman Oktay Vural, for his part, described the operation against the media as a coup against the rule of law. In a speech in Parliament on Sunday as part of budget discussions for 2015, Vural said the operation was intended to change the agenda of the country by putting pressure on certain media outlets ahead of the anniversary of the corruption investigations.

Drawing attention to the timing of the operation, he said, “The pressure and threats against the media reflect the mindset of those who fear that the public will find out the truth [about government corruption].”

Felicity Party (SP) chairman Mustafa Kamalak also criticized the operation, saying it was conducted to put psychological pressure on the media. “I assume the government sees the end of the road, as they are becoming more and more ill-tempered every day. I suggest that the rulers be impartial and fair. What is being done to journalists is the picture of oppression and cruelty. This is unacceptable,” Kamalak told the press.

İdris Bal, the leader of the Democratic Progress Party (DGP) and an independent deputy, went to the İstanbul Police Department on Monday morning to visit the detained journalists. “I was at the Zaman headquarters on the day the operation was conducted. Today, I continue to support my friends under detention. However, they [the police] are not allowing me to see them. Unfortunately, the police are complying with the oppressive [acts of] the government. Under normal conditions, a deputy should be free to visit detainees. But the despotism in this country has destroyed even the most basic rights,” Bal told the press while waiting in front of the İstanbul Police Department.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)