Turkish authorities ordered the detention of 47 journalists from a formerly oppositional newspaper amid a widening crackdown on supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a failed coup attempt earlier this month.
The warrants were issued Wednesday against executives and senior journalists of the Zaman newspaper, which was seized by the Turkish government in March.
“Today’s detentions cover executives and some staff including columnists of Zaman newspaper, the Gulen movement’s flagship media organization,” a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters, as cited by Reuters.
The official said that the journalists are not being detained for anything they may have written or said, rather because they may have useful information regarding Gulen’s network, which could be used by the Turkish state in its investigation against the US-based Muslim cleric, who Ankara believes was the mastermind behind the failed coup.
“At this point, the reasoning is that prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation,” the official added.
A former columnist for the publication Sahin Alpay was detained at his home early on Wednesday morning, according to the Anadolu Agency, as cited by AFP.
The Zaman newspaper was previously linked to Gulen’s religious movement before the government seizure.
The latest arrests come just two days after the Turkish government issued warrants for 42 other journalists including a well-respected commentator Nazli Ilicak, who was also a former member of parliament. A total of 16 journalists have been detained so far for questioning.
Turkey has detained more than 15,000 people in the military, judiciary and civil service since the abortive coup on July 15, CNN Turk cited Interior Minister Efkana Ala as saying on Wednesday. A total of 8,113 people have been formally arrested pending trial, Ala added.
Tens of thousands of people have also lost their jobs in the civil service and education sector.
The Turkish military confirmed on Wednesday that 8,651 soldiers had taken part in the failed coup, which accounts for 1.5 percent of the Turkish Army. According to the NTV television station, the military says the soldiers belonged to a “terrorist” network, which was led by Gulen.
The military added that 35 planes, 37 helicopters as well as 37 tanks were used in the coup attempt, which killed around 290 people, according to AFP.