Özlem Albayrak, a columnist who had worked for the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily for years, announced that she parted ways with the daily after it refused to publish an article in which she criticized a recent prison sentence handed down to an opposition politician.
Albayrak tweeted the news of her resignation from Yeni Şafak on Wednesday while also posting the article that was not published by the daily.
“This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, arising from problems that emerged due to a conflict between the newspaper’s editorial policy and my views. Since it is impossible for me to continue under these circumstances, I’m ending my articles and parting ways with Yeni Şafak,” she tweeted.
In her article Albayrak criticized a recent prison sentence of nine years, eight months given to Canan Kaftancıoğlu, a prominent Republican People’s Party (CHP) official, for allegedly insulting the president and spreading terrorist propaganda.
Kaftancıoğlu is the head of the CHP İstanbul branch and one of the strongest opposition voices within the party.
Some pro-government journalists recently joined with colleagues who lost their jobs due to their critical views since even the slightest criticism of the government is not tolerated in the Turkish media, most of which is under the control of the government.