Journalists questioned in Istanbul municipality probe released |
Several prominent Turkish journalists, including Medyascope editor-in-chief Ruşen Çakır, were questioned by police on today (Oct 6th) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct involving the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). All of the journalists have now been released.
The case revolves around claims published earlier this week by Akşam, a pro-government newspaper. The report alleged that Murat Ongun, currently imprisoned communications chief to Istanbul’s imprisoned mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, had covertly financed several journalists. İmamoğlu, the main opposition figure in Turkey and a leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was jailed earlier this year on charges widely viewed by his supporters and many international observers as politically motivated.
The Akşam report named a number of well-known Turkish journalists—including Ruşen Çakır, Yavuz Oğhan, Soner Yalçın, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, and Şaban Sevinç—implying that they had financial ties to Ongun in order to influence political coverage. The journalists reject the claims as false and defamatory.
Police arrived at the homes of several journalists early Thursday morning, a tactic known in Turkey as a “dawn operation,” frequently seen in politically charged investigations. Journalists Yavuz Oğhan and Şaban........