Erdogan’s journalist witch-hunt worsens

Turkish journalists, who have been increasingly harassed, intimidated and put under threat by Erdogan’s authoritarian regime, are now in even greater danger following the coup of 10 days ago (yes, it has only been 10 days).

Human rights groups have spoken of a witch-hunt as warrants have been issued for the arrest of 42 journalists.

The Guardian reports that one of the journalists for whom an arrest warrant has been issued is believed to be Fatih Yağmur, an investigative journalist who was fired from his job at the now defunct Radikal daily two years ago because of what his editors said was “very intense government pressure”.

Radikal had published his report on Turkish Intelligence Agency lorries that transported weapons to Syria, behind the back of the Turkish parliament, a story for which Yağmur was honoured with the EU Investigative Journalism Award 2015.

But Yağmur is no longer in Turkey. After the coup attempt, he received a flood of violent threats via social media. He received similar threats after he wrote that story about the arms lorries.

“I fear for my life,” he told The Guardian. “I do not feel safe in Turkey. I do not intend to return before the state of emergency is lifted.” On the way out of Turkey, he said, he was briefly detained at the border for having missed the hearing of a trial against him on charges of insulting the president.

“I spent the night in a cell with 40 soldiers, all of whom showed signs of torture, bruises and bloody wounds,” Yağmur told The Guardian. “They were not allowed to go to the toilet either. It was terrible. Because I saw this, I do not feel safe. I witnessed torture here.”

Several websites critical of the government have been forcibly shut down since the coup attempt, and 34 government-issue press cards (what did I tell you about the sort of places where it is the government that issues press cards?) have been revoked.

More than 300 employees of the state broadcaster TRT have been suspended.