Erdogan shuts down tens of media outlets

Turkish President turns house of Gulen into public toilettes

Nearly two weeks after the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey, and despite immense pressure from the international community, President Recep Erdogan and his government continue to take action against the military and other institutions. Amid a state of emergency, the Erdogan regime is targeting the country’s media, with 45 newspapers, 16 television stations and three news agencies being closed, as state-run news agency Anadolu reports. According to newspaper Hurriyet, the TV stations that have been suspended are: Barış, Bugün, Can Erzincan, Dünya, Hira, Irmak, Kanal 124, Kanaltürk, MC TV, Mehtap, Merkür, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu TV, SRT, Tuna Shopping and Yumurcak. According to Anadolu, nearly 1,700 soldiers, including 87 generals have been purged so far, while according to CNN Turk, over 15,000 people, including 10,000 soldiers have been removed since after the failed coup. Turkish authorities have announced that over 2,400 army officers have been retired. Erdogan said last week that the actions were necessary to remove the ‘threat’ during the coup, with tens of thousands of public servants being fired since the President regained control of the country. The country’s broadcasting watchdog repealed two dozen radio and TV station licences last week, on suspicion of being complicit with self-exiled muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is considered the mastermind behind the military coup attempt by Erdogan. Turkey has officially requested the extradition of Gulen, who is based in the US and has denied the accusations by Turkey against him. In a show of force and in an effort to humiliate his foe, Erdogan announced the ancestral house of Gulen would be turned into public toilettes. In total, Turkey has shut down about 130 media outlets, according to Anadolu. The Reporters Without Borders have lamented a ‘growing persecution’ of critics media.