The diplomatic fallout from these actions was immediate. The seizure of Zaman was discussed at the European Union summit in Monday, with Ankara’s migration crisis also on the agenda. France’s foreign minister declared the decision to seize control of Zaman unacceptable, stating it went against European values. Both Cihan and Zaman are part of the Feza Gazetecilik media company, placing them at the center of the political and legal conflict between the Turkish state and the Gülen movement.
At the heart of this institutional purge is Faruk Akkan, the 46-year-old general manager of Cihan. Akkan, a veteran journalist and expert on Russia, has been detained for 457 days. He was formally arrested on August 4, 2016, after spending ten days in a detention center at the Istanbul Police Department on Vatan Street. Akkan faces three consecutive life sentences and an additional 15 years in jail if convicted of terrorism charges. However, critics and legal observers note that he has languished behind bars without any evidence indicating that he committed a crime other than working for a critical media outlet.
The background to this conflict dates back to 2013, when police and prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gülen opened a corruption investigation into Erdoğan’s inner circle. At the time, Erdoğan and Gülen were allies, but the relationship fractured as Erdoğan accused Gülen of conspiring to overthrow the government by building a network of supporters in the judiciary, police, and media. Gülen denies these charges. Erdoğan, then prime minister, presented the graft probes as a coup attempt, labeling critical media outlets that covered the scandal as traitors and coup plotters. In March 2016, Turkish authorities shut down media businesses previously seized from Koza İpek Holding, a conglomerate linked to Gülen, further consolidating state control over these outlets.
Akkan’s case highlights the procedural disputes surrounding these detentions. According to a 64-page indictment penned eight months after his arrest, public prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt failed to present specific incriminating evidence against the journalist. Under Turkey’s Code on Criminal Procedures, accusations must be clearly indicated by name with explanations of the charges and supporting evidence. In Akkan’s case, his name appears in the indictment only three times: once in the list of defendants, once noting his appointment as general manager in November 2015, and once in the list of suspects facing severe punishment. There is no documented link between Akkan and violence or terrorist organizations.
During his interrogation, Akkan was questioned about events that occurred while he was abroad. He had served as the bureau chief in Moscow from 2006 until the end of 2015, a period during which he mastered the Russian language and became a prominent commentator on Russia in Turkish media. When asked about a 2014 downsizing strategy at the newspaper company, Akkan stated he was not in Turkey at the time and had no knowledge of business operations. Police also questioned him about an article written by Bülent Keneş, former editor-in-chief of Zaman, which warned against a coup. Akkan told interrogators he had heard of the article for the first time during his detention. Keneş, who has also faced terrorism charges, remains at large.
Akkan’s first appearance before a judge came on September 18, 2017, nearly 13 months after his initial detention. He rejected all allegations, emphasizing that many ambiguous charges involved events where he was abroad. Despite his testimony refuting any relation to the July 15, 2016, failed coup bid—stating he was at home with his family when it occurred—the court rejected his demand for release on parole. The court ruled for his arrest pending trial, ignoring his objections regarding the lack of specific evidence.
The seizure of Cihan and the continued detention of its leadership underscore the broader strategic pressures in Turkey. The government views the media network as a tool of the Gülen movement, aiming to dismantle what it perceives as a parallel state structure within the judiciary and police. For Akkan, a graduate of Boğaziçi University’s Political Science department and Istanbul University, the case has transformed his career from international reporting to a legal battle over the definition of press freedom. As the administrator takes control of Cihan, the immediate consequence is the loss of editorial independence for the agency, while the longer-term tension remains unresolved regarding the trials of dozens of journalists and media professionals accused of ties to the Gülen movement.
