Turkish PM urges media to reveal its sources, otherwise he will

ISTANBUL

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. AA photo

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged the media to reveal its sources for the leaked details of the “peace process” talks with outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) head Abdullah Öcalan, saying that otherwise he will reveal the sources.

“If we can be patient, then friends from the media world may reveal the [source of the] leak. They know [the sources] and they must reveal them, but we need patience. If they don’t reveal it then we may do so ourselves,” said Erdoğan, speaking at a joint press conference with Surinamese Vice President Robert Ameerali in Ankara late March 7.

Erdoğan harshly criticizes Turkish media

The prime minister has repeatedly condemned the publication by Turkish daily Milliyet last week of a document purportedly written during a Feb. 23 meeting between Öcalan and three deputies from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on İmrali island, a meeting that was arranged as a part of efforts to solve the Kurdish issue.

"If that’s how you're doing your journalism, shame on you! The media will say [the same thing] again: The prime minister is attacking us. But whoever tries to spoil the process inside the media is against me and my government,” Erdoğan had said after the leaks.

“There cannot be limitless freedom. If the media is ... free to the extent of reporting by violating national interests and exploiting freedom, the government can also criticize them in turn,” he said, adding that his government was "against censorship."

The International Press Institute (IPI) has described Erdoğan's remarks as "concerning."