Vienna, 31/10/2016
The Secretary General of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), Oliver Vujovic, condemned the today arrest of at least 13 journalists of Turkish independent daily Cumhuriyet, including the editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, and three of its columnists, Kadri Gürsel , Güray Öz and Aydın Engin .
“I know Kadri, who is also Board Member of the International Press Institute (IPI) and IPI Turkey National Committee Chair, very good personally, and he is a great journalist and intellectual. He participated in several SEEMO conferences in Istanbul in the past and he is an example of professional journalism. What will be the next step by the authorities in Turkey against press freedom?”, SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic asked. “It is clear that the Turkish regime sees the state of emergency as a opportunity to consolidate its power and weaken democracy in the country. The authorities should urgently restore press freedom in the country”, Vujovic added.
As the International Press Institute informed, Kadri Gürsel was taken into custody today afternoon following a raid on his home and is currently being held at Vatan police station in Istanbul.