Police in Istanbul, Turkey carried out a surprising and chaotic raid in Turkey this morning as several journalists of opposition linked media firms.
The media firms affected are reportedly owned by Koza Ipek Holding and is linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric.
The Turkish government has accused Koza Ipek of trying to destabilize the country in the run up to a critical election. Most of the media groups owned by Koza Ipek have been openly critical of President Recep Erdogan ahead of the elections slated for November and there’s very little doubt that this was the motivation behind the crackdown.
Hundreds of demonstrators have turned out to protest as Policemen had to use water canons to disperse the crowd in Istanbul.
The government took over the management of 22 companies owned by the Koza Ipek group yesterday.