Doğan Holding slams attacks on two dailies
ISTANBUL
Doğan Holding, a Turkish group of companies that also has media outlets, has condemned armed attacks targeting the offices of two newspapers, Yeni Akit and Yeni Şafak, in Istanbul early Feb. 11.Doğan Holding Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan and Vuslat Doğan Sabancı, the chair of daily Hürriyet, a Turkish daily owned by Doğan Publishing Group, and Doğan Publishing Group Representative Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ called Akit Media Group CEO Mustafa Karahasanoğlu and Yeni Şafak Publisher Ahmet Albayrak, condemning the attack and extending their concern over the offensives.
Sabancı expressed her hope that the perpetrators would be immediately captured and that such attacks would not be repeated.
Speaking to daily Yeni Şafak Editor-in-Chief İbrahim Karagül and Ankara bureau chief Abdülkadir Selvi, Yalçındağ delivered solidarity messages addressing the dailies that were subjected to armed attacks.
The Turkish Journalists Assoication (TGC), meanwhile, also condemned the attacks in a written statement on Feb. 11.
“Talking about democracy is pointless in a society that lacks free press. Societal peace cannot be secured in a country where journalists and newspapers are being targeted,” said the popular press organization, expressing solidarity with the dailies.
The TGC also demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice immediately.
The Istanbul offices of daily Yeni Şafak and Yeni Akit were vandalized with Molotov cocktails and weapons early Feb. 11.
Three or four masked attackers launched an attack on Yeni Şafak’s offices in the Yenidoğan neighborhood of Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa district at 5 a.m. while a group of masked assailants attacked the Akit media group building in the Halkalı Merkez neighborhood of Küçükçekmece with Molotov cocktails and weapons half an hour later.
