Cases against daily a blackout: Turkey's main opposition leader

ANKARA

'If you limit freedom of newspapers and journalists, then you limit people’s right to be informed,' CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said. CİHAN photo

Criminal complaints filed by the Prime Ministry, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the National Security Council (MGK) against Turkish daily newspaper Taraf aim to hide the truth from people, the main opposition leader has said.

The cases have been brought against the daily and its journalist Mehmet Baransu for its revelations of the 2004 MGK decisions.

“If you limit freedom of newspapers and journalists, then you limit people’s right to be informed,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said in response to questions on Dec. 6, a day after Taraf, which published a document from a 2004 MGK meeting about a state action plan against the activities of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s movement, was charged with “spying” and “terrorism,” in an investigation launched by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor.

“Taraf is an important newspaper, it is reporting. You like it or not. But free reporting of journalists is one of the fundamental conditions of democracy. Everybody should take care of this. Filing of criminal complaints is aimed at preventing people from learning certain truths that are being hidden by the government from the people. In that regard, I don’t think it is right,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.