Former TV anchorman arrested as part of post-coup crackdown in Turkey

Erkan Akkuş, a former anchorman at the now-closed Bugün TV, has been arrested by a Turkish court as part of a post-coup crackdown.

A detention warrant for Akkuş has been outstanding since 2016, Turkish media reported.

He was detained at his father’s house in northern Kocaeli province after an anonymous tip was received by the local police.

Turkey accuses the faith-based Gülen movement of orchestrating a 2016 failed coup, although it strongly denies any involvement.

The government has launched a large-scale crackdown against its followers since then, but the movement became a target of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after a 2013 police investigation that accused his close circle of corruption.

Bugün TV, a news channel owned by the private İpek Medya Group, was seized by the government in November 2015 and turned into a pro-Erdoğan outlet. It was shut down following the coup attempt.

Dozens of journalists have been arrested and received lengthy prison sentences over alleged Gülen links. (Turkish Minute)

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