Turkish columnist fired for criticizing PM

ISTANBUL

AFP Photo

Daily Yeni Şafak has fired columnist Ali Akel for an article that slammed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, daily Radikal reported today.

Rumors about Akel's possible removal had been circulating since earlier this week after he criticized Erdoğan heavily and directly over the botched 2011 Uludere raid in an article published May 25, reports said.

Akel was reportedly removed from the daily this morning even though he tweeted yesterday that he was staying.

"I had to part ways with the newspaper due to my last articles," Akel wrote on his Twitter account today. "In times like these, there is always a price for speaking and writing. And someone always pays it."