NATO’s (not at all) Free Press

Updated 31 July 2016: So, now in (post-coup attempt) Turkey it’s a choice between the democratically elected paranoid narcissist Erdogan, who’s been intimate with the CIA in the efforts to overthrow Assad, behaving somewhat like Mao during the cultural revolution (democratic principles have recently died in Turkey the attentive might notice) embarking on a massive purge of the CIA sponsored Gulen movement and turning to the Russians to keep him in power; or whoever NATO (a future coup) will again attempt replacing him with. Some choice.

Meanwhile (pre-coup attempt) a Gulen associated newspaper, Today’s Zaman, had been shut down by Erdogan following its’ reporting Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT was doing business with Islamic State (supplying arms), as well MIT had facilitated supplying the sarin components used by al-Qaida at Ghouta, Syria in August 2013 (blamed in western media on Assad.) The journalists were jailed. The CHP deputies (members of parliament) who’d produced the sarin investigative files (by now jailed investigating police and judges) have since had their immunity lifted. The main opposition CHP (Republican People’s Party), also under repression, can hardly be accused of any historic sympathy for Gulen. The censored reporting checks out as absolutely legitimate and had been doing the USA no favors. So, who did the shutting down of Today’s Zaman benefit? It follows, the post-coup attempt Gulen ‘fifth column’ purge argument is simplistic, inaccurate, serves as cover for a much wider purge on behalf of the blossoming dictator Erdogan, and as well has been about shutting up news outlets exposing Erdogan as complicit in CIA associated crimes. It’s not a black & white movie folks. If the CHP has been recently linking up with the so-called Gulen movement, it is most certainly survival driven. Then, there’d been the Zaman reporting on the (not so small) matter of Islamic State doing the bulk of its oil exports via Erdogan’s Turkey, as noted previously by the Russians (and admitted by the Pentagon.)

A bit of post-coup attempt levity on Turkey’s purge of the so-called ‘Gulen movement’ or ‘fifth column’ would be an analogy; if every Reform Jew in the USA were fired from their civil service job, inclusive of police, judges, educators, military, legislators, mayors and more, because their leadership were international criminals in bed with MOSSAD via AIPAC, the result would be tens of thousands of honest civil servants who went to work every day simply to do a honest job; purged as a so-called ‘fifth column.’ Tens upon tens of thousands of firings and arrests in Turkey because Gulen has slept with the CIA (Erdogan had done that as well) cannot be construed to be neutralizing a ‘fifth column’ but should rather be construed to be a fracturing society on the road to a police state and likely civil war. The CIA associated Gulen’s notorious rival, the (until just recently) CIA associated paranoid-narcissist Erdogan, might be in some respects popular but popularity does not excuse world class crimes. Meanwhile, the Russians might consider the criminal character and motives of Erdogan, now that he’s pivoting in their direction (I’m certain Putin has no illusions about the filthy character embodied in the current President of Turkey.) It follows, NATO is about to come apart at the seams, Turkey had been their historic under-belly access to Russia and storage site of up to 100 tactical nuclear weapons, guarded by Erdogan’s military. Listen hard for the fellatio the Pentagon will be required to perform to attempt correcting another CIA world class screw-up that can never be admitted; as it would appear the CIA, with a failed coup attempt, just handed control of a Pentagon nuclear arsenal to an unstable paranoid nominally in charge of nation in process of imploding.

Note 1: Those inclined to endorse Erdogan’s mistaken belief the attempted coup was orchestrated via the US military at Incirlik airbase should be disabused of such a fantasy; recalling military career is almost certainly the most common of all CIA operative covers, surpassing the Department of State diplomatic corps.

Note 2: Seven thousand militarized Turkish police suddenly mobilized at Adana, Turkey, location of NATO’s Incirlik airbase coincides with the emergency visit of the USA’s top military commander sending a message concerning the facility where Turkey secures up to 100 of NATO’s (USA) tactical nuclear weapons.

Related: How Dumb is the CIA, Part One

16 March 2016, Today’s Zaman English language website has been taken down. Replacing it is a Turkish language pro-government webpage. More on censored Zaman stories HERE. It didn’t take long, since 6 March when you would go to the Turkish language Zaman website you’d see…

…which translates to English: “The Zaman Gazette website is being updated. Soon we will provide more quality and unbiased service to our readers”

Meanwhile it is reported the 6 March Sunday Zaman paper sold in Turkey’s newstands runs a headline of Erdogan at a newly constructed bridge ribbon cutting ceremony…

…with Erdgan’s court trustee conflict of interest evidence and related incriminating documents and other information disappeared (but preserved here.)

Here is the last pre-censorship article (screenshot headline followed by preserved illustrations and text) of Today’s Zaman in Istanbul. Future editions will be published (if anything is published) by the minions of Sultan Erdogan’s state apparatus and one of the last, important voices of dissent reporting on the crimes of NATO’s Turkey will have been silenced. Today’s Zaman’s sins? Reporting on corruption in the present Turkey regime, inclusive Turkey doing arms business with Islamic State, Turkish intelligence providing the sarin precursor chemicals to al-Nusra (al-Qaida) used to kill 1,400 Syrians; blamed on Assad… examples given.

4 March 2015

An İstanbul court has appointed trustees to take over the management of the Feza Media Group, which includes Turkey’s biggest-selling newspaper, the Zaman daily, as well as the Today’s Zaman daily and the Cihan news agency, dealing a fresh blow to the already battered media freedom in Turkey.

The decision was issued by the İstanbul 6th Criminal Court of Peace at the request of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which claimed that the media group acted upon orders from what it called the “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY),” praising the group and helping it achieve its goals in its publications.

The prosecutor also claimed that the alleged terrorist group is cooperating with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization to topple the Turkish government and that high-level officials of the two groups have had meetings abroad.

The court decision means that the entire management and the editorial board of Feza Media Group companies will be replaced by the three-member board named by the court.

A crowd of Zaman and Today’s Zaman journalists, readers and supporters gathered outside Zaman’s headquarters as court-appointed trustees were expected to arrive at any moment.

Zaman Editor-in-Chief Abdülhamit Bilici addressed his colleagues on the grounds of the newspaper, calling the court decision a “black day for democracy” in Turkey as journalists and other newspaper workers held up signs that read: “Don’t touch my newspaper” and chanted “free press cannot be silenced!”

“Today, we are experiencing a shameful day for media freedom in Turkey. Our media institutions are being seized,” Today’s Zaman Editor-in-Chief Sevgi Akarçeşme said as she addressed the crowd.

“As of today, the Constitution has been suspended,” she said, referencing to the fact that the Turkish Constitution forbids seizure of printing houses and press equipment.

Şahin Alpay, a veteran political expert and a columnist for both Zaman and Today’s Zaman, lamented the situation, saying Turkey is having a “dark day” when one of the most prominent media outlets in the country is being confiscated at the order of a political leader.

“It is utterly saddening, particularly for people of my generation, that Turkey is turning into a third-world dictatorship,” Alpay said.

The takeover of Zaman comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the government of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that he founded intensified pressure on the Turkish media. Zaman, which is affiliated with the Gülen movement, is one of the few opposition media outlets in the country, which is dominated by pro-government television stations and newspapers.

Turkey’ satellite provider Türksat halted the broadcast of the independent İMC TV station last week on terrorism charges. Two newspapers and two television stations owned by Koza İpek Holding were placed under the management of a trustee board on charges of financing terrorism in October 2015. Those media outlets were closed down by the trustee board due to financial losses last week.

“This is not a matter of a fight between the government and the [Gülen] movement. This is a matter of existence for Turkey,” columnist Levent Gültekin said as he joined the crowd outside Zaman in a show of solidarity. “Just a few days ago, they pulled the plug on İMC TV for ‘supporting terrorism,’ which is a massive lie.”

Erdoğan declared the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, his number one enemy after a corruption investigation in December 2013 that implicated people in his inner circle. He accused alleged sympathizers of the movement within the judiciary and the police of staging a coup against his rule. The corruption charges were dropped after prosecutors of the case were replaced.

According to the court’s decision three trustees were appointed to the Feza Media Group. One of the trustees is Sezai Şengönül, who serves as an editor at a news website. The two others are lawyers are Tahsin Kaplan and Metin İlhan.

İlhan’s social media accounts showed that he is an open supporter of the AK Party and Erdoğan. His personal Twitter account’s background photo shows Erdoğan and Davutoğlu while some of his tweets even included insults at main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).