Opposition condemns detention of editor-in-chif and journalists of daily Cumhuriyet

Opposition parties have condemned the detention of the editor-in-chief and more than a dozen journalists of daily Cumhuriyet early on Monday, saying the move passes another threshold in pressure on dissidents by the Turkish government. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited Cumhuriyet’s Ankara Bureau and met with bureau chief Erdem Gül and reporters to express his support and solidarity with the newspaper, which is targeted over alleged “links with terror organizations.”

“We will altogether struggle against this” Kılıçdaroğlu told Gül during the visit. In a statement issued after his visit to Cumhuriyet, the CHP head slammed the government for “turning the July 15 coup attempt into an opportunity to crack down on intellectuals, writers and journalists.”

“They are trying to change the constitutional order through state of emergency decree laws. A big responsibility is on the shoulders of the Constitutional Court. If it had accepted our appeal [for the annulment of decree laws breaching the constitution], none of this would have happened” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Describing Cumhuriyet as one of Turkey’s most important newspapers, he called on all intellectuals, journalists, writers to defend the newspapers against oppressors. “Don’t forget that if you keep silent now, you will be next,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

SOURCE: http://www.dha.com.tr/opposition-slams-detention-of-cumhuriyet-journalists_1366856.html