Turkish Police have raided the offices of the opposition Zaman newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it under state control. Police entered the building in Istanbul late Friday, firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside. Zaman is closely linked to the Hizmet movement of influential US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey describes Hizmet as a terrorist group aiming to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Mr Gulen was once an ally of Mr Erdogan but the two fell out. The government has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists.
The court ruled that Zaman, a high-circulation newspaper, should now be run by administrators. No explanation was given. Later, hundred of Zaman supporters gathered outside the newspaper’s offices to protest at the state takeover. The US state department described the takeover as the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government.