As much of the Western world moves its attention away from the failed Turkish coup attempt that took place in in mid- July,  journalist and media who have been labeled as opposition to President Erdogan have been bearing the brunt of the failed attempt.

Since the attempt was crushed by forces and police who stayed loyal to the government, President Erdogan has been using the coup as an excuse to shut down opposing voice in the country and arresting many journalists for accusing them of inciting the insurrection.

“Journalist should not pay the price for military officer’s unlawful attempt to overthrow the government” Nina Ognianov said referring to the high number of journalist arrested. Ms. Ognianov is a member of the Committee to Protect Journalist’s, Europe and Central Asia division.

45 newspapers, 16 television channels, 15 magazines and 29 publishers have been shut down so far. Many of these news agencies that have been shut down have been accused of being linked to a “radical” cleric who is living in exile in Pennsylvania. The Sunni Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen has been accused by the government of inspiring insurrection in the country and spreading anti- Erdogan sentiment throughout the country.

“We regret having to reiterate that criticizing the government and working for media outlets that support the Gulen Movement do not constitute evidence of involvement in the failed coup” Reporters without border’s, Johann Bihr said in a statement which condemned the crackdown.

Since the attempted coup, an estimated 6,000 people have been arrested, many of them military personnel and officers, along with reporters who voiced opposition to the Erdogan regime. 290 have been killed.

Mr. Gulen is seen as a threat to President Erdogan because he is the polar opposite of the current President as he believes in Science, interfaith dialogue and a multi-party democratic form of government. President Erdogan has been accused of moving Turkey away from secularization and more toward an Islamization as it has been described.

“If the authorities cannot produce more credible evidence they are guilty of persecuting people for their opinions and that is unacceptable” Ms. Bihr continued in the statement.

There have been several signs of Turkey moving toward Islamization and dictatorship, including 1) The Emergence of women wearing head scarfs in the once secular Western coastal region of the country, 2) Boys studying religious texts at the once interfaith Kapiaga Madrasa and 3) 17,000 new mosques being built around the country since 2,000.

Even though there has been much condemnation of the violence and subsequent crackdown, President Erdogan said at a funeral for one of the victims of the coup, “We will continue to cleanse the virus from all state institutions because this virus has spread. Unfortunately like a cancer, this virus has enveloped the state.”

Other indications of the country moving toward a more religious tilt includes the recent election of 2014 where Mr. Erdogan received more than half of the vote with 51.79% of the vote, while his opponent Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu got only 38.44%.

“I would consider them to betraying the nation” Mr. Gulen said in a statement denouncing the coup. I would consider them to be betraying the nation. I would be considering them to be disrespectful of my longtime ideas, basic thoughts. Because in every coup d’état the poor have been adversely affected. I have always been against coups, since I have spent my entire life with coups and pressures. I have the opinion that nothing good will come out of coups.”

Love, tolerance, hope, dialogue, activism, mutual acceptance and respect are some of the other beliefs of the Gulen movement. 131 newspapers have been shut down and 17 journalists have been officially charged with being involved with the Gulen movement.

In summary, President Erdogan has every right to protect his rule in office since he was democratically elected by the people, but he should not use the attempted to coup as an excuse to squash opposition speech as freedom of speech should be one of the primary rights of a nation which claims to be democratic.

Links to Sources:

1. Washington Post Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkish-authorities-to-shut-down-dozens-of-media-outlets/2016/07/27/d1c8454c-542e-11e6-b652-315ae5d4d4dd_story.html
2. The Atlantic Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/4-jarring-signs-of-turkeys-growing-islamization/276425/
3.  USA Today Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/07/27/turkey-closes-scores-tv-stations-newspapers/87627710/
4. U.S News and World Report Link: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-08-01/turkey-arrests-11-soldiers-it-says-were-behind-coup-attempt