Free press a must for democracy

The first thing that struck Turkish readers on the morning of Sept. 1 was the front page of Sözcü, a popular newspaper that is very critical of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti).

The headline read ?If Sözcü is silent, Turkey is silent.? The page included boxes for the columns of its popular writers, but all of them were left empty. A short editorial said the paper was fed up with court cases being filed one after another by President Tayyip Erdo?an via ?manipulated? courts; it said that over the last year 57 court cases have been opened against it and nearly 60 more against its individual writers. It claimed that Erdo?an files ?insult? cases against news pieces and commentaries whenever his or his children?s names are mentioned. By writing nothing for one day, leaving their spaces empty, the writers and the paper were trying to draw attention to their case.

The second development regarding the media situation in Turkey was the news about the arrest of the Vice news crew in Diyarbak?r, southeast Turkey. Two British journalists Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury and their Iraqi passport-holding translator Mohammad Ismael Rasool were taken into custody two days ago after an ?informant? told local police that they could be working for the outlawed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). But later the crew was arrested by the court on charges of helping the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK). Both local and international media organizations have demanded their immediate release, as well as the U.S. State Department.

The third development, again in the morning hours, was at first sight not directly related to media freedom - but only at first sight. The police raided the headquarters of the Koza business group in Ankara,...