No Turkish journalist arrested for 'writing stories'

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that there are no journalists currently under custody in Turkey just for doing their jobs and writing stories.

The minister's comments appeared in four Spanish dailies Saturday following a one-day official visit to Madrid on Friday, during which he gave an interview to El Pais, El Mundo, ABC and La Razon.

"There is not a single journalist who is under custody in Turkey for writing stories. If there is one, I would like to know who he/she is," Cavusoglu said in response to a question about the freedom of the press in Turkey.

"Those who revealed themselves as journalists have either supported terrorism or terrorist organizations.

"So many people have been arrested [in Turkey] because they actively supported the [July 15] coup attempt, and some people used the media as a propaganda tool," Cavusoglu said adding it was important to distinguish between those journalists who were being "critical" versus "getting involved in the coup plot".

Cavusoglu also criticized the media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), saying its report on the press freedom in Turkey was not "objective".

According to Turkey’s government, FETO leader Fetullah Gulen -- a resident of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania -- masterminded the July 15, 2016 defeated coup, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

In the wake of the putsch attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, education and business sectors.