Trustees appointed to Cihan News Agency

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

A trustee panel has been appointed to a news agency linked to U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who the Turkish president accuses of heading a “terrorist organization,” days after a similar ruling led to the seizure of the Zaman media group. 

The Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace appointed a trustee panel of three to Cihan News Agency, following a request from the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office. The trustees are the same people who were appointed to daily Zaman on March 4. 

A trustee panel took over the administration of the media group, which includes Cihan News Agency, the Today’s Zaman and Zaman dailies, a Zaman magazine, as well as Zaman Kitap, on March 4 amid a police crackdown on hundreds of protesters following a decision by an Istanbul court.

Turkish police dispersed a crowd of Zaman media group supporters on March 5, a day after the court appointed a trustee panel to seize control of the group. 

Meanwhile, the labor contracts of daily Zaman Editor-in-Chief Abdülhamit Bilici and Today’s Zaman columnist Bülent Keneş were terminated, according to reports.