THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN ANKARA AND ISTANBUL PROTEST DETENTION OF JOURNALISTS

ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 24 /SRNA/ - Thousands of people gathered in the Turkish capital, Ankara, and in Istanbul to protest the detention of journalists and the closure of media outlets.

According to the Turkish Journalists' Union, 11 journalists have been arrested in the past two months, and several media outlets have been shut down.

Earlier this month, police raided Halk TV, Turkey's most-watched news channel and a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, interrupted its broadcasts, and appointed a government-designated administrator to run it.

Demonstrators in Turkey's two largest cities, mostly journalists, opposition party representatives and human rights groups, chanted that they "can no longer breathe" and "will not be silenced."