Police enter Koza İpek headquarters in Ankara
ANKARA
Police officers forcefully entered the Koza İpek Holding headquarters in Ankara on Oct. 27 after a court ordered appointment of a trustee panel to the holding.An Ankara court made the ruling Oct. 26 upon the request of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office days before the repeat general elections on Nov. 1.
The holding owns two daily newspapers, Bugün and Millet, and two television stations, Bugün TV and Kanaltürk.
A group of police officers arrived at the holding’s headquarters, live television footage showed on Oct. 27, and were met by the holding’s lawyers at the door.
Following a brief argument in front of the building, police officers were seen forcing the building’s doors and entering inside the headquarters. Riot police stood guard at the entrance after the incident.
Meanwhile, police used tear gas to disperse a crowd that gathered in front of Koza İpek Holding headquarters to show their support.
An attempt to serve the court ruling to Koza İpek Holding’s media group headquarters in Istanbul failed, after the holding’s lawyers refused to receive the official notice, arguing that the police officer was not authorized for such an operation.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Mahmut Tanal said after the incident that the people who came “did not even provide the documents proving they were police officers.”
