Incident
Türkiye: court installs trustees at Zaman newspaper
An Istanbul court put Türkiye's best-selling newspaper, Zaman, and its parent company under trustees after ruling it supported a group the government called a terrorist organization. Police used tear gas on a crowd that gathered in support.1234
What happened
On March 4, 2016, an Istanbul court ruled that Feza Media Group, publisher of the newspapers Zaman and Today's Zaman and the Cihan news agency, supported a movement led by the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen that Türkiye's government had labeled a terrorist organization. The court ordered the company placed under court-appointed trustees, who took control of its board, servers and archives and blocked existing journalists' access to their own systems. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd that had gathered outside Zaman's Istanbul office in support of the paper. Within days, the new management removed critical stories from the paper's history and installed an editorial line supportive of the government; the paper's foreign editor and other senior staff were dismissed. Today's Zaman continued for several more months before all Feza-linked outlets were permanently closed by a state-of-emergency decree following the failed coup attempt of July 2016.1234
Sustained until the outlets were later closed entirely by decree in July 2016.1234
What reason was given
Stated justification"the new administration does not want any stories that were 'critical of Turkey'"1234
What changed for reporting
Journalists said the paper reversed its editorial line within days and that the takeover was part of a broader effort described by one ousted editor as aimed at every independent voice, not only Zaman.12
Timeline
2016
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul court (Feza Media Group case) | other | Court that ordered trustees installed at Feza Media Group |
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | other | President of Türkiye |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Cihan News Agency | outlet | affected |
| Feza Media Group | outlet | affected |
| Today's Zaman | outlet | affected |
| Zaman | outlet | affected |
| Celil Sagir | journalist, Zaman | affected |
| Sevgi Akarcesme | journalist, Today's Zaman | affected |
Sources
- 'Erdogan is killing journalism,' says Today's Zaman editor forced out after takeover
- CPJ writes to Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu to protest takeover of Feza media group
- Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Bilici, Today's Zaman's Keneş fired by trustees after gov't seizure
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- Description of the police response outside the newsroom.
police used tear gas and water cannons against journalists and protesters who gathered to support them
CPJ writes to Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu to protest takeover of Feza media group, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-03-08.Claim 533, checked 2026-09-22. - Ousted editor Sevgi Akarcesme's assessment of the takeover's scope.
Erdoğan is killing journalism. It's not just about Zaman and Today's Zaman. Everyone is targeted.
'Erdogan is killing journalism,' says Today's Zaman editor forced out after takeover, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-04-14.Claim 534, checked 2026-09-22. - The court's stated basis for installing trustees.
an Istanbul court on Friday ruled that Zaman and Today's Zaman support an alleged terrorist organization
CPJ writes to Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu to protest takeover of Feza media group, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-03-08.Claim 631, checked 2026-09-22. - Description of what the trustees did on taking control.
the new managers took over the dailies' servers and archives and blocked journalists' access
CPJ writes to Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu to protest takeover of Feza media group, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-03-08.Claim 632, checked 2026-09-22.