Kazım Güleçyüz, the editor-in-chief of Turkey’s Yeni Asya newspaper, was arrested on Wednesday on accusations of disseminating terrorist propaganda for conveying condolences for the late Fethullah Gülen, an Islamic cleric listed as a “terrorist” by the Turkish government, the Bianet news website reported.
Güleçyüz and three other people were detained early on Wednesday following home raids as part of an investigation overseen by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Güleçyüz posted a message of condolence on X following Gülen’s death and avoided using pejorative language against the late cleric or repeating the government narrative or accusations about him.
Over the last decade Gülen and his movement, which in the past had been praised by the Turkish government for their activities in education and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, have faced various accusations from the government, including masterminding corruption investigations in 2013 and a coup attempt in July 2016.
The Turkish government labeled Gülen and his movement as “terrorists” in May 2016.
Gülen and his followers have strongly denied any involvement in the coup or any terrorist activities but have been the subject of a harsh crackdown for a decade, which intensified in the aftermath of the abortive putsch.
Güleçyüz is also among a group of journalists and activists whose X accounts were blocked in Turkey on Tuesday due to their messages about Gülen’s death.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X on Tuesday that the cybercrime department of the Turkish National Police has identified and is investigating 177 social media users who have allegedly spread propaganda for “Fetö” or shared posts praising Gülen or his movement following the cleric’s death.
On the same day, dozens of Turkish journalists and activists as well as some media outlets found their X accounts blocked in Turkey.
Some of these outlets and journalists were working in exile and were known for their critical reporting on the Turkish government, such as Cevheri Güven, Sevinç Özarslan, Adem Yavuz Arslan and Emre Uslu; the Bold Medya news website; journalist Amberin Zaman; and former national footballer Hakan Şükür.
A number of these accounts have posted condolences for Gülen or praise of his movement following the cleric’s death, but others did not.
Many of the journalists whose X accounts were blocked in Turkey appealed to X owner Elon Musk on the platform, criticizing him for “bowing to requests of censorship” from Turkey and questioning his dedication to freedom of expression.