AFP reports that the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan publicly denied any intimidation or forced silencing of the media by the Turkish government.
"There is no pressure on the media. Nobody is forced to be silent in this country," Akdogan said in a television interview.
The White House voiced concerns on Monday about the treatment of journalists leading up to Sunday's elections.
While Akdogan spoke harshly against the US criticism of press freedom in Turkey, Monday also saw the arrest of the editor of Istanbul-based magazine Nokta over a cover story on the AKP win entitled: "The start of civil war in Turkey."
AFP reports that the Turkish government accuses Nokta magazine of inciting the public to violence.
"You will insult everyone, you will attempt to topple governments, you will try to confiscate the biggest companies and then you will go and shout. There cannot be such a thing." Akdogan said in an interview.
Freedom of Press Issues in Turkey
As Al Bawaba previously reported, two Turkish media stations were raided by government police on October 28. The Bugun and Kanalturk media stations operated under the Koza-Ipek Group, which was seized by the government for having ties to US-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is a vocal critic of President Erdogan.
On October 9, Turkish police arrested the editor-in-chief of the English-language newspaper, Today’s Zaman, for reportedly posting a series of tweets critical of Erdogan.
In August, Turkey arrested three VICE news journalists for alleged links to Daesh and PKK. The two British journalists were released after a week, but Iraqi journalist Mohammed Ismael Rasool remains imprisoned. He has not been formally charged with any crimes.
