ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey on Monday issued warrants for the detention of 42 journalists suspected of links to suspects accused of organizing a failed military uprising, intensifying concerns that a sweeping crackdown on alleged coup plotters could target media for any news coverage critical of the government.
While the Turkish government said it is investigating the journalists for possible criminal conduct rather than their reporting, critics warned that a state of emergency imposed after the July 15 coup attempt poses a threat to freedom of expression.
"We fear there will be a witch hunt which would include journalists known as 'critical' against the government. Because they are putting all journalists into one bag," said Ahmet Abakay, president of the Progressive Journalists' Association, a media group based in the Turkish capital, Ankara. He said the situation was "very dangerous for every journalist" and that government warnings to reporters to be careful would lead to self-censorship.
"By rounding up journalists, the government is failing to make a distinction between criminal acts and legitimate criticism," said Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International's deputy director for Europe.
More than 13,000 people in the military, judiciary and other institutions have been detained since the uprising, which killed about 290 people. In the latest purge, Turkish Airlines, the national carrier, said it has terminated the contracts of 221 employees. It said the contracts were ended for problems including conduct contrary to the national interest, such as "sponsoring" the movement of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of fomenting the insurrection.
Those fired included seven people in managerial positions and 15 pilots, according to the private Turkish news agency Dogan.
Gulen, who lives in the United States, has denied any involvement in the failed insurrection that was put down by loyalist forces and pro-government protesters who converged on the tanks of rebel units.
The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul was renamed the 15th July Martyrs Bridge on Monday in honor of the civilians who died resisting the coup.
Also Monday, security forces caught seven fugitive soldiers accused of raiding a hotel in the resort town of Marmaris shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan left it on the night of July 15, bringing the number of those detained for the attack to 25, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Security forces were searching for 10 others believed to be on the run near Marmaris.
Erdogan has said that he would have been killed or captured if he had stayed at the hotel for an additional 10 or 15 minutes.
Berat Albayrak, the energy minister and Erdogan's son-in-law, said the government would take care to ensure that anyone not involved in the coup conspiracy is not harmed during the crackdown. He told CNN Turk television that "it is doubtful this can be ensured 100 percent" and that "some minor difficulties can occur."
Journalists wanted for questioning include Nazli Ilicak, whose columns in the Ozgur Dusunce newspaper criticized what he called Erdogan's autocratic behavior as well as the crackdown on suspected supporters of Gulen's movement.
Other wanted journalists include Erkan Acar, news editor of the Ozgur Dusunce, and news show host Erkan Akkus of the Can Erzincan TV station, according to the pro-government Sabah newspaper. Both media organizations are offshoots of the Bugun newspaper and Bugun TV, which were viewed as sympathetic to Gulen and were taken over in a police raid in October.
Another wanted journalist is Busra Erdal, a former columnist and legal reporter for the daily Zaman newspaper.
In a series of tweets, Erdal said police raided her house Monday morning and that she would head to the office of state prosecutors in Istanbul to testify. She said she had not committed any crime and that the only organization she is affiliated with is the Istanbul Bar Association.
Five journalists on the wanted list have so far been detained, Turkish media reported.
Information for this article was contributed by Erol Israfil and Bugra Agca of The Associated Press.
A Section on 07/26/2016