ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ ເທີກີ ໃນນະຄອນອິສຕັນບູລ ໄດ້ບຸກເຂົ້າໄປ ໃນຫ້ອງ
ການຂອງໜັງສືພິມ Zaman ຊຶ່ງເປັນໜັງສືພິມທີ່ມີການພິມເຜີຍ
ແຜ່ຫຼາຍທີ່ສຸດ ໃນເທີກີ ໃນການປາບປາມອົງການຂ່າວຕ່າງໆທີ່
ໃຫ້ການສະໜັບສະໜຸນຕໍ່ພັກການເມືອງ ຝ່າຍຄ້ານ.
ພວກປະທ້ວງ ໄດ້ໂຮມຊຸມນຸມກັນ ຢູ່ນອກປະຕູທາງເຂົ້າສຳນັກ
ງານໃຫຍ່ ຂອງໜັງສືພິມດັ່ງກ່າວ ທີ່ນະຄອນອິສຕັນບູລ ໃນວັນ
ສຸກວານນີ້ ເວລາຕຳຫຼວດທີ່ມີລະເບີດນ້ຳຕາ ແລະທໍ່ສີດນ້ຳ ໄດ້
ບຸກເຂົ້າໄປໃນຕຶກອາຄານເພື່ອຂັບໄລ່ບັນດາພະນັກງານທີ່ຢູ່ໃນ
ນັ້ນອອກໄປແລະແຕ່ງຕັ້ງຜູ້ທີ່ສານໄດ້ມອບໝາຍໃຫ້ດູແລຊັບສິນ
ແທນ.
ຫົວໜ້າບັນນາທິການ ທ່ານ Addulhamit Bilici ໄດ້ກ່າວຕໍ່ພວກພະນັກງານ ກ່ອນທີ່ຕຳ
ຫຼວດຈະບຸກເຂົ້າໄປໃນຫ້ອງການ ໂດຍເອີ້ນວັນສຸກວານນີ້ວ່າ ເປັນມື້ທີ່ມືດມົນ ສຳລັບປະ
ຊາທິປະໄຕ.
ການເຄື່ອນໄຫວດັ່ງກ່າວນີ້ ແມ່ນພົວພັນກັບການເຄື່ອນໄຫວ ຂອງລັດຖະບານ ເພື່ອປາບ
ປາມພວກນັກຂ່າວແລະນັກສອນສາສະໜາອິສລາມຝ່າຍຄ້ານທ່ານ Fethullah Gulen
ຊຶ່ງໃນເວລານີ້ພວມລີ້ໄພຢູ່ໃນສະຫະລັດ.
ພວກປະທ້ວງຢູ່ນອກຕຶກອາຄານ ພາກັນຮ້ອງໂຮຂຶ້ນວ່າ ວົງການຂ່າວທີ່ເສລີບໍ່ສາມາດທີ່
ຈະປິດໃຫ້ມິດຫງຽບໄດ້ ແລະກໍພາກັນໂບກທຸງຊາດຂອງເທີກີ.
ໜັງສືພິມສະບັບທີ່ອອກເປັນພາສາອັງກິດຂອງ Today’s Zaman ກ່າວວ່າພວກເຮົາກຳ
ລັງກ້າວເຂົ້າສູ່ວັນເວລາທີ່ມືດມົນ ແລະໝົດຫວັງທີ່ສຸດ ເມື່ອເວົ້າເຖິງສິດເສລີພາບຂອງວົງ
ການຂ່າວ ຊຶ່ງເປັນເກນມາດຕະຖານ ໃນການວັດແທກປະຊາທິປະໄຕແລະການປົກຄອງ
ດ້ວຍຕົວບົດກົດໝາຍ. ໜັງສືພິມສະບັບນີ້ຍັງກ່າວຕໍ່ໄປວ່າ ພວກປັນຍາຊົນ ພວກນັກທຸລະ
ກິດ ພວກທີ່ມີຊື່ສຽງແລະບັນດາກຸ່ມສັງຄົມພົນລະເຮືອນໄດ້ຖືກປິດປາກປິດສຽງພ້ອມໆກັບ
ບັນດາອົງການສື່ມວນຊົນແລະພວກນັກຂ່າວທັງຫລາຍ.
Turkish authorities in Istanbul have staged a raid on the offices of Zaman, Turkey's largest-circulation newspaper, in a crackdown on media outlets that support the political opposition.
Protesters had gathered outside the gate of the newspaper headquarters in Istanbul Friday when police wielding tear gas and water cannons broke into the building to evict staff members and install court-appointed trustees.
Editor-in-chief Abdulhamit Bilici addressed the staff before police stormed the building, calling Friday "a black day for democracy."
The action was linked to a government campaign against opposition journalists and opposition Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States.
Protesters outside the building chanted "Free press cannot be silenced" and waved Turkish flags.
Friday's edition of the English-language version of the paper, Today's Zaman, said "we are going through the darkest and gloomiest days in terms of freedom of the press, which is a major benchmark for democracy and the rule of law."It went on to say that intellectuals, businesspeople, celebrities and civil society groups are being silenced, as well as media organizations and individual journalists.
The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists spoke out against Friday's action. The head of the rights group, Joel Simon, said "Turkish authorities should be fulfilling their constitutional obligation to defend press freedom" rather than undermining opposition media with aggressive action.
CPJ has reported that Turkey is one of the top jailers of journalists in the world, with government officials taking advantage of laws that can be broadly interpreted to imprison journalists on suspicion of espionage, conspiracy, or defaming the government.
Last week, Turkey's highest court released two editors of the newspaper Cumhuriyet from jail after several months in detention on espionage charges. The court decided the men's imprisonment before their trial was unconstitutional. The two editors must still go to court to face the charges.
Because of Turkey's geographical position as a bridge between East and West, and as a member of NATO, it has been a valuable ally to the United States and Europe on issues such as the civil war in Syria and the tide of refugees flowing west from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics of Turkey's government say the nation's value as an ally keeps Western nations from protesting too loudly about the Ankara's human rights record.
