Turkish authorities have carried out a raid on the offices of BirGün, a left-leaning independent newspaper. Three senior figures from birgun.net, Publishing Coordinators Uğur Koç and Berkant Gültekin, along with birgun.net Responsible Manager Yaşar Gökdemir, have been detained.

The official reason given for their detention is “targeting individuals involved in counter-terrorism efforts,” a charge often invoked under Turkey’s strict anti-terror laws. The detentions of BirGün journalists are only the latest in a string of arrests targeting the opposition’s political figures and journalists in recent months.

The arrests took place shortly after BirGün reported on a meeting between Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek and representatives of Sabah, a pro-government newspaper. The visit was also covered by Sabah itself, but BirGün’s reporting on the event appears to have drawn scrutiny.

Koç, Gültekin, and Gökdemir were taken directly from their homes by police and transported to Istanbul’s Vatan Police Headquarters, rather than being summoned for questioning. Reports suggest they were initially denied access to their lawyers. It is unclear at this time when the journalists will be formally questioned.

Commenting on the arrests, BirGün Publishing Coordinator Yaşar Aydın condemned the........

© Medyascope