Turkey’s crackdown after the failed 15 July coup attempt is affecting media freedom, in a country where many journalists have already been harassed or arrested.
Amid a purge of the army and state institutions the authorities issued a decree closing 131 media outlets, for their alleged ties to the Hizmet movement of anti-government cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The government accuses him of organising the coup attempt – which he strongly denies.
Turkey already has a poor track record on media freedom, ranking 151 out of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters without Borders (RWB).
The sheer number of media organisations now targeted means the space for opposition voices has shrunk.
(Visited 77 times, 1 visits today)
