Two skilled Turkish journalists were arrested on Thursday night, November 26, on charges of espionage and aiding a terrorist organization, according to a news report.
Editor-in-chief of Turkish daily news paper Cumhuriyet, Can Dundar, and bureau chief of Ankara newspaper, Erdem Gul, have been arrested after allegedly spying on politicians and the military.
After three hours of questioning on Thursday the two were charged with the allegations. According to a Turkish news agency, the two journalists have been obtaining and revealing confidential state security information for political and military espionage and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization.
“This is a judicial process, and we are following it,” a Turkish government official said.
On a list of 180 countries, Turkey has been named the 149th country for having the worst record on freedom of speech, according to Reporters without borders.
On his Twitter account Can Dundar has been active, tweeting statements such as “Free press can’t be silenced!” and “We have been arrested.”
Özgür basın susturulamaz!
— Can Dündar (@DundarHayran) 26. november 2015
Whether this is a matter of national as well as international security is hard to tell, as the journalists claim their rights of freedom of speech. If they have actually helped an armed terrorist organization infiltrate the political and military system of the country is still to be assessed.
In a recording of Dundar and Gul’s arrest, Dundar states that the two were defending freedom of press and “the right of the people to get information.”
Image via Flickr/Sharon Hahn Darlin
