Fears of government seizure spill over to Turkey's universities
Private universities in Turkey appear to be next in line in government crosshairs after a number of companies, newspapers and TV channels were taken over by pro-government trustees.
A week before Turkey’s Nov. 1 elections, Koza Ipek Holding, whose 22 companies include a media group, were handed over to trustees under a judicial ruling requested by the chief prosecutor’s office in Ankara. Pro-government figures were appointed to run the companies, among them two TV channels and two newspapers. An arrest warrant was issued for holding owner Hamdi Akin Ipek, currently abroad, on charges of being a leader of a terrorist organization linked to US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen.
After the trustees took over, the media group, which was a tough government critic, underwent a pro-government remake overnight. The editorial policies of the Bugun and Millet newspapers turned upside down, while the Bugun and Kanalturk TV channels began broadcasting documentaries. The trustees fired at least 58 employees.
