Criticizing Minister who Tore a Newspaper

CGD said Tuzmen could have been disturbed by the headline of the newspaper, but added he could have pursued legal action against it. "Mister member of the government, put himself in the place of justice like the "honor killers," whom we have been coming across frequently lately, and executed the punishment he saw fit for the newspaper, the association said.

"Black days for freedom of press and expression"

CGD argued that the government found support from the newspaper owners in interfering in the publishing policies of newspapers and the articles of columnists. CGD added the following:

* Turkey is going through black days in terms of freedom of press and expression. The prime minister is telling citizens off who speak up about their expectations from the government, and their opinions.

* The members of the government are defining attempts to find justice as "ideological," and are trying to make certain attempts look meaningless.

* The unfortunate incident in Gaziantep has made obvious that the government has no tolerance toward freedom of press and expression.

* Tearing up a newspaper is as lawless as blowing up a newspaper building

and silencing it.

"The government cannot tolerate"

* In the proposed press law, prepared by the government, this action is regarded as a crime.

* Tuzmen's behavior would have amounted to a scandal in a democratic country, and especially in the European Union, Turkey is striving to join.

* The government, which promises all the time to implement reforms, should not tolerate the incident in Gaziantep.

Minister apologized

"I saw that a wrong story was being published in huge fonts," Minister Tuzmen said later in a statement. "I behaved in a way that is not at all my style," he said and apologized. (EO/BB/EA/YE)