EU High Representative Federica Mogherini linked Turkish authorities’ takeover of a leading newspaper to the country’s EU aspirations Saturday, warning any prospective member of the Union must respect “high democratic standards.”
Protesters outside the offices of the Zaman newspaper in Istanbul were met with tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday, after a court ruled Friday that the daily, with a circulation of 650,000, be run by administrators. State media reported the decision came at the request of a prosecutor investigating Fethullah Gülen, who is affiliated to Zaman and one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main opponents, on terrorism charges. U.S.-based Gülen denies the charges.
“The EU has repeatedly stressed that Turkey, as a candidate country, needs to respect and promote high democratic standards and practices, including freedom of the media,” Mogherini said in a statement. “Free, diverse and independent media constitute one of the cornerstones of a democratic society by facilitating the free flow of information and ideas, and by ensuring transparency and accountability.”
| And we all know how powerful a warning from the EU is... |
Johannes Hahn, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, tweeted that the decision to takeover the paper risked progress Turkey has made in other areas towards joining the bloc.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said he would raise the issue with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu over lunch at a summit on Monday aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe. Turkey is a key part of the plan, with the EU pledging €3 billion in aid in exchange for Ankara’s help.
| And if Yippy sez that if you bother him one more time about the newspaper that he'll open the spigots on the refugee flow, what then? |
The Saturday edition of Zaman, completed before authorities took over, carried the headline: “The Constitution is suspended.”
The U.S. State Department called the move “troubling” on Friday. Spokesman John Kirby told reporters: “We see this as the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government targeting media outlets and others critical of it.”
| You have to believe that there are some in our own government taking notes... |
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