EDIRNE
While senior government ministers have backed the ongoing police operation on senior media figures and police officials in 13 cities across Turkey since early morning, the main opposition party has slammed the government move.
A senior Turkish minister said Sunday that Turkey was a country where rule of law prevailed.
In remarks made to reporters in northwestern Edirne province, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu underlined that Turkey was based on rule of law and democracy.
"Turkey is a state of law," Muezzinoglu said. "If someone does wrong, they pay the penalty," he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said he was waiting to see the results of the investigation.
"We will see the results of the investigation. It is not appropriate to comment on this probe at this moment," he said.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the main Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party, strongly criticized the police operation. "The press should be free, comfortable and it should be able to report fearlessly," Kilicdaroglu said.
Police detained Sunday 23 people in an ongoing operation on local media figures and police officials in 13 cities across Turkey for alleged links with the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the prosecutor's office in Istanbul said.
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