Back on September 7, pro-AKP supporters hurled rocks at Hurriyet’s Istanbul headquarters in a display the newspaper’s editor-in-chief called “a black page in Turkey’s democratic history.
He probably should have called it “another” black page in Turkey’s democratic history because as regular readers are no doubt aware, President Tayyip Erdogan has made a habit of curtailing press freedom, stifling free speech, and instilling terror into the masses both figuratively and literally.
“About 100 people hurled stones at the main Istanbul offices of Hurriyet, a secularist newspaper critical of the Islamist-rooted government, in the second such assault in 48 hours,” FT reported at the time, adding that “the newspaper’s Ankara printing press also came under attack.”
That came in the lead up to the November redo election Erdogan orchestrated after AKP lost its parliamentary absolute majority in June and some suspected the government of encouraging the attacks as well as the firebombing of HDP offices that occurred just a day later.
On Saturday, Hurriyet was attacked again, this time by “armed” assailants.
“Unknown perpetrators have carried out an armed attack on the building of the Hürriyet daily, one of Turkey’s major newspapers, in Ankara, according to reports,” RT reports. “The attack was reported to have emanated from a passing vehicle the Cumhuriyet says.
Hürriyet Ankara binas?nda camlar parçaland?, emniyet silahl? sald?r? ihtimalini ara?t?r?yor https://t.co/yVjl1XXRQ6 pic.twitter.com/2sUbZN5Ly9
— T24 (@t24comtr) December 12, 2015
Shattered glass on the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors could be the result of a structural flaw but authorities are investigating the possibility that the building was the target of what sounds like a drive by shooting or an explosion.
From Hurryiet (translated):
In Ankara, Eskisehir road in the locality and Sö?ütözü Hürriyet Ankara Bureau also home to seven of the Do?an Media Center exploded today at 5:07 p.m. of the outer panels of glass on the side of the building facing the road. Ankara Police Department officials that continued investigation into the incident that took place in the Freedom House, said not encountered any ballistic evidence in the investigation carried out so far.
"At this stage we can only say in front of the building matters is that burst of seven glass panels on different floors. In respect of the explosion were caused not have any information yet finalized. Is it from that outside interference, is a structural situation in the building caused, it will emerge with the crime scene investigation report. I met with the Ankara Police Chief. Ballistic examination of the building is done and the camera records examined. We expect the report to be prepared. It would not be right to make comments before the report. "
In the past there had been cases where some panels in the building explode spontaneously.
"Spontaneous combustion" or yet more government-sponsored terror on secular journalism? You decide.