Zaman Editor-in-Chief Dumanlı faces probe over ‘insult’ to Erdoğan in news report

Zaman editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı holds a banner that says
Zaman editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı holds a banner that says "Free media cannot be silenced" outside his newspaper's headquarters in İstanbul's Yenibosna. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Selahattin Sevi)


Date posted: February 24, 2015

An investigation has reportedly been launched into Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a news report that appeared on the website of the daily.

According to a report by journalist Arzu Yıldız on independent news portal t24.com on Friday, Erdoğan’s lawyers filed a criminal complaint against Dumanlı on Feb. 16 over an article that appeared on Zaman daily’s website on Jan. 10, which reported on on the tweets of a government whistleblower who writes on Twitter under the pseudonym Fuat Avni. Prosecutors reportedly launched an investigation against Dumanlı upon the complaint.

A short story on Zaman’s website, www.zaman.com.tr, on Jan. 10 carried quotes from Fuat Avni’s tweets saying the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) would carry out murders in Turkey and lay the blame on members of the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet Movement, which is inspired by the views of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Fuat Avni, who claims to be in Erdoğan’s inner circle, tweeted on Jan. 10 that “Yezid” had initially planned to use the Dec. 14, 2014 operations against the media to announce the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization, but had to resort to other methods to do so as that had failed.

Fuat Avni’s tweets that appeared in the story did not mention Erdoğan’s name directly, but used the word “Yezid” which was implied to mean Erdoğan. Yezid is a reference to the Umayyad caliph, who according to Islamic belief allowed his opponent Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, to die of thirst in the Battle of Karbala.

Dumanlı was among a number of journalists, columnists, scriptwriters and producers who were arrested on Dec. 14 in a large-scale media crackdown. Some of the detainees including Dumanlı were later released pending trial.

Source: Today's Zaman , February 20, 2015

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Lawyers, academics say ‘parallel state’ was invented to block graft probe

A total of 150 academics signed the manifesto, titled “Rule of law suspended.” The manifesto says the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government cannot ignore the corruption allegations just by making up claims of a “parallel state” — which has no meaning in political science or law — and placing the blame on the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, for its unlawful practices.

Şifa University rector says gov’t move to shut down hospitals won’t affect education

İzmir-based Şifa University Rector Professor Mehmet Ateş has said a recent decision by the İzmir Governor’s Office to shut down the university’s additional outpatient polyclinics in the province will not affect education at the university’s main campus.

Gülen says he could be blamed for assassination of an MHP, CHP politician

US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen said on Monday that the possible assassination of an important politician from either the Republican People’s Party (CHP) or the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in the coming days might be blamed on him by pro-government circles.

Back to school in Turkey after post-coup teacher purge

As more than 18 million children began the new term after the summer break, Huseyin Ozev, president of the Istanbul teachers’ union, told AFP there were fears the academic year would begin with “chaos” because of huge staff shortages.

Turkey’s Gulen Demand – The U.S. shouldn’t extradite the exiled Turk without better evidence

Turkey is demanding that the U.S. extradite Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating this month’s failed military coup. “The evidence is crystal clear,” PM Yildirim told the Journal Tuesday, adding that Washington’s request for evidence of Mr. Gulen’s guilt is superfluous “when 265 people have been killed.” If that’s Mr. Yildirim’s standard of proof, Washington should deny the request.

AK Party government removing critical voices from state bodies

Many bureaucrats who are just doing their jobs and have no affiliation with any political groups now face [the prospect of] being dismissed with a claim of having links to the Hizmet movement. However, it is widely known that many of the bureaucrats discharged from their posts do not have any links with the movement,” Arslan said.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Gulen suspect testifies before US Congress on recent coup attempt

Liberals silent as Turkey targets its own Khashoggi

An Ideal, Dynamic, Democratic Education

Central West Africa shows up for TUSKON event

Pak Turk Schools employees in UN protection after visa extensions turned down

Gülen: Society not divided into Kemalists, Muslims in Turkey

NPR’s Interview with Gulen – He Denies Involvement In Coup Attempt

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News