43 journalists arrested, while 100 with detention warrants after Turkey's coup attempt

ISTANBUL

Some 43 journalists have been arrested as part a probe into the July 15 failed coup attempt, while the number of detention warrants issued against professionals exceeded 100, according to a journalism association.

The Istanbul-based Platform for Independent Journalism (P24)  said that with the Aug. 11 arrest of now-closed daily Zaman correspondent Ayşenur Parıldak, the number of arrested journalists with alleged links to the coup attempt rose to 43. 

Some 10 days after the deadly attempt, detention warrants had been issued against 42 journalists as a part of ongoing investigations against members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). 

Meanwhile some 42 employees of TRT, whose names and titles were not disclosed, were detained on Aug. 11, with sources saying anchors of the channel were also included in the list.  

Amid arrests and detentions issued against journalists, authorities have also been imposing travel bans on media personnel, as the Prime Ministry’s Media Press and Information General Directorate (BYEGM) announced on Aug. 11 that based on a July 23 order of the Police Department, journalists holding grey service passports should receive a report from the BYEGM allowing their overseas travels in order to travel abroad. 

According to official numbers, meanwhile, some 74,562 passports were canceled as part of the coup attempt investigations and reports emerged that some 200 journalists had been barred from entering the Turkish parliament.

The platform also said 13 journalists had been detained and five had been arrested, mostly from Kurdish media outlets, since July 15 independent from the coup attempt investigations.