The new Turkey
Aladdin Kaya.  
Zaman newspaper’s former owner 

02-Feb-2019 10:13

11 June 2018:
Hidayet Karaca, the chief executive of the shuttered Samanyolu TV, and Alaaddin Kaya were given aggravated life sentences by an Ankara court on 8 June.
 
Karaca and Kaya, along with two other co-defendants, were convicted of “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order” in the “FETÖ” trial heard by the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court. Authorities accuse the Fethullah Gülen network, now referred to as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), of orchestrating the 15 July 2016 coup attempt.
 
Karaca and Kaya were among the 75 defendants of the case, including former editor-in-chief of the shuttered Zaman newspaper, Ekrem Dumanlı. The case files of Dumanlı and other defendants who could not be brought before the court before they had fled Turkey, were separated.

8 January 2018:
Jailed journalist Hidayet Karaca and Zaman newspaper’s former owner Aladdin Kaya were sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

The Ankara 4th High Criminal Court gave aggravated life sentences to four out of seven jailed defendants on charges of “attempted violation of the constitution” immediately before a controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016 in a case that was filed against 75 defendants who are accused of links to the Gülen movement.

Among the defendants are Hidayet Karaca, who was president of the now-closed Samanyolu Broadcasting Group; Alaattin Kaya, former owner of the now-closed Zaman daily; İlhan İşbilen, a former deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and former general director of Zaman; and Kazım Avcı, a cousin of US-based Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen.

The court also sentenced Fethullah Gülen’s lawyers Abdülkadir Aksoy and Ali Çelik and businessman Dilaver Azim to 10 years, six months in prison on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organisation.”

The court also decided to drop the case against Cemal Uşak, who passed away on August 25, 2016 in exile. It also separated the files of Fetullah Gülen and Adil Öksüz, the main suspect of carrying out the coup bid. The file of Zaman daily’s former editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı was also seperated from the case.

14 January 2017:

Former owner of Zaman newspaper faces aggravated life sentence

Aladdin Kaya, under arrest since Aug. 19, faces life in prison as part of a post-coup prosecution into the Gülen movement, which the government accuses of organizing a coup attempt on July 15. The movement denies involvement.

Kaya was the legal owner of Turkey’s biggest newspaper, Zaman until it was seized by the government as part of an investigation into the movement, on Mar. 4, 2016. The daily was completely shut down after the coup attempt. Kaya is accused of having attempted to violate the Constitution, in an indictment accepted by Ankara 4th High Criminal Court.

Two military officers were given life sentences as part of separate investigations into the movement, last week.

4 September 2016:

Former owner of gov’t-seized Zaman daily arrested over Gulen links

The ex-owner of Zaman, Turkey’s biggest selling newspaper before the infamous government seizure, was arrested over his links the the US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whom the government accuses of masterminding the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Had an arrest warrant issued against him since June, Aladdin Kaya was detained in Balıkesir’s Edremit district on August 19 and arrested on Saturday.

Following the July 15 bloody military coup attempt that killed some 240 people and wounded a thousand others, the government pinned the blame on Gulen. The scholar has repeatedly repudiated such claims, condemning any intervention into democratically-elected administrations.

The accusations against Gulen is nothing new. On March 4, the government seized Zaman newspaper over its links to Gulen and turned its editorial policy to become a strong supporter of the government.

More than 86,000 people have been purged from within public institutions while over 41,000 people have been detained over alleged links to Gulen and his teachings since July 15. Meanwhile, some 22,000 people were arrested pending trial

20 August 2016:

Former owner of gov’t-seized Zaman daily detained over Gulen links

The ex-owner of Zaman, Turkey’s biggest selling newspaper before the infamous government seizure, was detained over his links the the US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whom the government accuses of masterminding the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Had an arrest warrant issued against him since June, Aladdin Kaya was detained in Balıkesir’s Edremit district on August 19.

Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15 which killed some 240 people and wounded a thousand others. While the government accuses Gulen of masterminding the putsch, the he has repeatedly repudiated such claims, condemning any intervention into democratically-elected administrations.

The accusations against Gulen is nothing new. On March 4, the government seized Zaman newspaper over its links to Gulen and turned its editorial policy to become a strong supporter of the government.

More than 80,000 people have been purged from within public institutions while over 40,000 people have been detained over alleged links to Gulen and his teachings since July 15. Meanwhile, some 20,000 people were arrested pending trial.