Protests have broken out in Turkey following the arrest of two opposition journalists, the most recent part of a widespread media crackdown by the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan.
Turks are not letting the media crackdown go unnoticed, with thousands of people flooding the streets of Istanbul and Ankara to keep alive a debate about democracy in the country.
Protesters gathered in Istanbul and Ankara, with the latter encountering riot police that reportedly used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Reuters reported that the number of protesters was around 2,000, with some chanting "Murderer Erdogan."
Police use tear gas against demonstrators in protest over arrest of Cumhuriyet editors https://t.co/qiyPwd5rN3 pic.twitter.com/iUxkChozNj— Today's Zaman (@todayszamancom) November 27, 2015
Zaman Editor-in-Chief Abdülhamit Bilici, also speaking at the protest, said that 33 journalists are now being held in Turkey. "Our democracy is regressing," he reportedly told the crowd.
Protesters rally to support #Cumhuriyet newspaper in #Istanbul #Turkey #journalism #protest pic.twitter.com/vlU8NsTm8C— Julius C. (@juliuscmphoto) November 27, 2015
On Thursday, a court in Istanbul ordered the arrest of Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the left-leaning newspaper Cumhuriyet, and Erdem Gul, the paper's Ankara representative.
Dunar's wife, Dilek Dündar, spoke at the protests in Istanbul, telling the crowd that his arrest was a proud moment for him.
“This is a medal of honor for Can. We are proud,” she said, according to Today's Zaman, an English-language newspaper in Turkey. “He says hello to everyone.”
The arrests are the culmination of a long-brewing tension between the journalists and the government. In May,Cumhuriyet published photos that purported to show Turkish trucks carrying ammunition to Syria.
The government had gone back and forth about whether those tracks had been really carrying weapons, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently saying: "What difference would it make if they were carrying arms?"
The protests occurred outside of the headquarters of Cumhuriyet in Istanbul, while the group in Ankara attempted to march to the paper's local bureau.
The arrests are the most recent of a government crackdown on journalists in Turkey that has included court cases as well as violence. A week ago, the government assaulted and detained 10 journalistsin a raid that was caught on video.
Turkey has been in a precarious position with the ongoing war in Syria, which it shares a southern border with. Turkey has a variety of allies and enemies in the areas near that border, including some in Syria that identify ethnically as Turks. Turkey is friendly with some Syrian rebels, but not with ISIS or the Syrian government.