Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured here), of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), argued at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) that the independence of the media was not under attack in Turkey despite the recent arrest of 26 journalists, as the Prime Minister noted that the journalists were not arrested for crimes related to their profession.
The PM asked the Council of Europe to send representatives to Turkey in order to assess the situation on the ground for themselves, with CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland saying that he had accepted the invitation and that This [was] a constructive approach and a move forward in the discussion about media freedom in Turkey.
The PM later went on to state that the journalists were arrested in conjunction with the fight against those who advocate a military coup in Turkey, stating that this was not a problem that European countries faced.
For the original article from SETimes.com, please click here.
The photo of PM Erdogan comes courtesy of Reuters.
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