Athens journalists’ union laments Zaman closure
The Athens Journalists’ Union (ESIEA) on Monday voiced opposition to Turkish authorities taking over the Zaman newspaper.
“Even though Turkey is a founding member of the Council of Europe and has ratified the European Convention of Human Rights, it does not protect the freedom of the media and the freedom of the journalists,” said ESIEA.
The Athens Journalists’ Union (ESIEA) on Monday voiced opposition to Turkish authorities taking over the Zaman newspaper.Turkish authorities seized control of Zaman, the country’s top-selling newspaper, on Friday, at the request of an Istanbul prosecutor after he reportedly claimed that it supported “terrorist activities” because of its backing for US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, once an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but now his chief foe.
“The union’s board and all its journalists unite their voices with all those who care about having a plurality of views and condemn the Turkish authorities’ efforts to silence the publishing group,” added ESIEA.
