Arrest of Turkish journalists over Syria trucks news sparks outrage

Domestic and international press institutions and political figures have condemned the Nov. 26 arrest of daily Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül for their news report on Syria-bound intelligence trucks.

Turkey's left-wing opposition has strongly condemned the arrest of two prominent journalists on charges of assisting terrorists, with the leaders of both the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) arguing the "unlawful" decision was personally imposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.

"If not those who committed crimes, but those who report the crime, are being arrested, then nobody should say, 'The press is free and the judiciary is independent and impartial in Turkey,'" CHP leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu said in a message posted to his Twitter account late on Nov. 26, shortly after daily Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül were placed in pre-trial detention after a local court in Istanbul ordered their arrest on charges of spying and "divulging state secrets" by publishing footage that purported to show the state intelligence agency helping send weapons to Syria. 

K?l?çdaro?lu released a written statement following the court's decision, while HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirta? and Figen Yüksekda? also released a joint written statement immediately after the delivery of the ruling.

"It is a black day of democracy and freedom of the press," said K?l?çdaro?lu, calling the ruling "unlawful."
"This is an unlawful detainment which was taken upon the order of the person who resides in the 'Kaçak Saray' [Unlicensed Palace]," K?l?çdaro?lu said, using a byword commonly used by the opposition to refer to Erdo?an and his gargantuan...