In Turkey, the sweeping crackdown following this month’s failed military coup shows no sign of abating.
Turkey shuts down 130 media outlets, sacks scores of military generals in post coup purge
More than 130 media outlets have been shut down, Reuters reported citing official sources. That includes 45 newspapers, 16 TV channels and three news agencies.
#Turkey crackdown by the numbers: Statistics on brutal backlash after failed coup. https://t.co/AWGVYFknPr pic.twitter.com/majzBu9rXq— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) July 27, 2016
The list of journalists detained keeps on growing. Forty-two arrest warrants were reportedly issued on Monday, and another 47 on Wednesday.
Those detained include staff of Zaman newspaper, which was seized by authorities earlier this year over its ties to exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, the archenemy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
But Western leaders have voiced concern Erdogan is using the post-coup purges more broadly to silence the opposition.
About 40 percent of Turkish generals and admirals discharged in post-coup crackdown https://t.co/4X2Oct94Qy— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) July 27, 2016
More than 60,000 people have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation since the failed coup.
About 1,700 hundred military personnel have been discharged – among them, almost 40 percent of all Turkish generals and admirals.
Turkey ‘fires 1,700 military officers and closes dozens of media groups' https://t.co/UtbG79ehUu— The Independent (@Independent) July 27, 2016
Turkish special forces were also hunting around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris for a group of commandos thought to have tried to capture or kill Erdogan on the night of July 15.