Turkey detains scribes as Oppn crackdown upped

Ankara: Turkish authorities have detained a prominent investigative journalist and four of his colleagues and replaced an elected pro- Kurdish mayor with a state appointee on Wednesday, escalating a recent government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices.

Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections in March as well as growing calls for early national elections. Government officials insist that the courts operate independently and reject

claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated. Investigative journalist Baris Pehlivan

was taken under custody late on Tuesday along with Halk TV television channel’s chief editor Serhan Asker and presenter Seda Selek., the station said. The detentions came hours after Halk TV broadcast a recording of a phone conversation that Pehlivan held with an expert employed by courts to provide opinions. Critics accuse the court assessor of providing biased reports against mayors belonging to the country’s main opposition party.

Asker and Selek were released from custody on Wednesday on condition that they regularly report to the police. But almost simultaneously, authorities detained two other journalists from Halk TV — a station that is aligned with the opposition. The journalists face possible charges of disclosing a private conversation without permission and attempting to influence an expert witness.

Also, the government removed Sofya Alagas, the elected mayor of the city of Siirt, from office and appointed the mainly Kurdish-populated region’s governor in

her place, citing her recent conviction over terrorism-related

charges.