Turkish journalist Ilıcak fired after calling on ministers to resign

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo.

Well-known Turkish journalist Nazlı Ilıcak was fired from the daily Sabah Dec. 18 after criticizing ministers whose sons are involved in an ongoing corruption investigation.
 
Ilıcak, speaking to daily Hürriyet, said Sabah’s administration cited a “clash of ideas” as justification for the move. In previous years she had expressed support for the government in a number of areas.

While earlier appearing on a CNN Türk news program Dec. 17, Ilıcak said the ministers whose sons had been detained as part of the fraud and bribery operation should resign.

There are three members of the Cabinet whose sons are among those detainees; Interior Minister Muammer Güler, Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar and Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan. The suspects are, respectively, Barış Güler, Abdullah Oğuz Bayraktar and Kaan Çağlayan.