Turkey arrests prominent journalist, academic as part of coup bid probeSeptember 10, 2016 - 17:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish authorities detained a prominent journalist and his brother, a well-known academic, on Saturday, September 10 as part of investigations into a failed coup attempt in July they blame on followers of a U.S.-based Turkish cleric, Reuters reports. Ahmet Altan, a writer and former editor-in-chief of the Taraf newspaper, and his brother Mehmet were detained for questioning over their comments on a TV show a day before the putsch, according to local media reports and P24, an Istanbul-based association supporting independent journalism. Taraf, one of dozens of media outlets closed since the coup attempt, was seen as close to the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Turkey for orchestrating the failed putsch. The cleric denies any involvement. Turkish prosecutors and police could not immediately be reached for comment. Turkey has detained more than 100 journalists since the events of July 15, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets, bombing parliament and other key buildings in an attempt to seize power. Tens of thousands of police, soldiers, judges and civil servants have been purged on suspicion of links to Gulen, drawing criticism from rights groups and some Western allies, who fear a wider attempt to silence dissent. Some of the journalists detained are known for their leftist activism and not for sharing the religious world view of the Gulenist movement. Turkish officials reject such concerns, saying the extent of the crackdown is justified by the gravity of the threat to the Turkish state on July 15, when more than 240 people were killed, many of them civilians. Those found not to have links to the coup plot will be released, the officials say. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. Baku: EU, U.S. share responsibility for Armenia’s “destabilizing actions” Azerbaijan has declared that the European Union and the United States will share responsibility for any destabilizing actions of Armenia Armenia to sing in 2nd semi-final of Eurovision The organizers of Eurovision 2024 have revealed the running order of the countries in the two semi-finals. |