Arrested journalist: I am on guard duty for democracy

Samanyolu Broadcasting Group (STV) head Hidayet Karaca was arrested on Dec. 14 over terrorism charges, sparking public outrage about press freedom in the country. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
Samanyolu Broadcasting Group (STV) head Hidayet Karaca was arrested on Dec. 14 over terrorism charges, sparking public outrage about press freedom in the country. (Photo: Today's Zaman)


Date posted: February 24, 2015

Samanyolu TV Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca, who has been under arrest since a government-backed police operation against independent media outlets on Dec. 14, 2014, stated in a letter on Monday that his imprisonment for the last 66 days without legal justification is a result of his being on guard duty for democracy.

Karaca, who was detained in the government-backed media crackdown on Dec. 14, 2014, along with Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, directors and producers of a popular television series and police officers, was then arrested on Dec. 19 on the suspicion of heading a terrorist group based on a TV series that was broadcast years ago on his television station.

In his letter, Karaca thanked all those who have showed him full support since he has been in jail, including parliamentarians who visited him in Silivri Prison in İstanbul. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Oktay Ekşi, Mahmut Tanal, Sezgin Tanrıkulu and Ali Özgündüz as well as independent parliamentarians İlhan İşbilen, Hakan Şükür, Hasan Hami Yıldırım, Muhammed Çetin and Democratic Progress Party (DGP) leader İdris Bal were some of the deputies who have visited Karaca in Silivri Prison.

Karaca’s letter, titled “Guard Duty for Democracy,” was released in a press statement on Monday. Underlining the restrictions that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has placed on Turkish media outlets, Karaca said that he is in prison because of two pieces of dialogues in the popular “Tek Türkiye” (One Turkey) TV series, a fictional soap opera that portrayed anti-terrorist battles in Turkey and aired on Samanyolu TV in 2009. Expressing his sorrow over Turkey’s poor image in the world with regard to democracy and freedom, Karaca ended his letter by saying, “A beautiful spring comes after every severe winter. Flowers blossom in spring.”

As the İstanbul First Penal Court of Peace has issued an order of confidentiality regarding the Dec. 14 investigation, the suspects and their lawyers have not been allowed to see the content of the investigation files. The suspects were questioned as to whether they — in collaboration with the police — were part of a plot aimed at imprisoning members of an al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group known as Tahşiyeciler (Annotators). Several lines of dialogue in an episode of “Tek Türkiye” were used demonstrate Samanyolu’s alleged role in the imprisonment of several individuals associated with Tahşiyeciler in 2010.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen on Dec. 19, 2014, claiming he is the leader of the group that targeted Tahşiyeciler; however, no evidence has been provided.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party have targeted the faith-based Gülen movement, inspired by the teachings of Gülen and also popularly known as the Hizmet movement, accusing it of being behind graft probes of government corruption that went public in December 2013 as part of an effort to unseat the current government. Both the Zaman daily and the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group are affiliated with the Hizmet movement.

Source: Today's Zaman , February 17, 2015


Related News

Erdoğan’s Religious Guide Approved Torture And Abuse In Turkey

Turkish president’s chief religious counsel Hayrettin Karaman, professor of Islamic law, has given approval to overlook torture and other crimes committed by members of security services, saying that Turkey is at total mobilization and under attack from within and outside.

Exclusive: Turkey, Kosovo violated fundamental rights of expelled teachers, UN body says

The UN group called on Ankara to release the six individuals immediately, and the Turkish and Kosovar governments to accord the victims an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.

On Hizmet exceptionalism

What is perhaps saddest about this witch-hunt is that Hizmet is a priceless resource for any government. It serves without any burden on public funds and efforts. It is a rich source of reliable manpower devoted to selfless service and ready to raise the banner of Turkey, on peaceful terms, alongside the flags of all other nations around the world. Instead of being propelled by this free energy, and benefitting from its resources, the Turkish government acts in jealousy, and tries to destroy it.

Int’l scholars discuss ijtihad, qiyas at İstanbul symposium

Around 1,000 theologians, academics and opinion leaders from more than 100 countries gathered for a two-day symposium in İstanbul over the weekend to discuss the importance of ijtihad and qiyas in Islam.

London newspaper forced to shut as Erdogan allies seek vengeance

A Turkish opposition newspaper in Britain has been forced to close and its journalists have gone into hiding as supporters of President Erdogan unleash a campaign of intimidation against exiles.

Another woman detained on coup charges one day after giving birth

Fatma Türkmen, who gave birth to a baby in Ankara on Monday, was reportedly detained on Tuesday over alleged links to the Gülen group.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Exiled Turkish Leader Gulen Slams Erdogan for Coup Attempt in Report

Kemalo-Islamists versus civil society and Hizmet

Mr. Fethullah Gülen’s Message of Condolences for Rev. Billy Graham

Fethullah Gulen’s Message on New Defamation Efforts by Erdogan Regime

Police raid Gülen-inspired prep schools in Erzurum

The Battle For Turkey’s Soul

Bank Asya answers smear campaign

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News