One of four employees of the critical daily Sözcü for whom detention warrants were issued last week due to alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement was detained on Tuesday.
Finance manager of the Sözcü daily Yonca Yücekaleli, accompanied by her lawyer, arrived at the prosecutor’s office at İstanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse on Tuesday to testify to a prosecutor where she was subsequently detained.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants last week for Sözcü’s license holder Burak Albay,online manager Mediha Olgun, Yücekaleli and İzmir reporter Gökmen Ulu.
They are accused of “membership in a terrorist organization and committing crimes on behalf of the organization” and “armed insurgency against the Turkish government.”
Ulu and Olgun were detained during a police operation, while Akbay was reported to be abroad.
The Turkish government has declared the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization although there is no court ruling to this effect. The government accuses the movement of masterminding the failed coup attempt on July 15, although the movement strongly denies any involvement in the failed putsch.
