Yikes.
The government says that's what the Dogan Media Group owes in back taxes, but observers both inside and outside of Turkey aren't convinced.
PM Erdogan has been urging citizens to boycott Dogan's holdings (which include CNN-Turk, and the top selling dailies Hurriyet and Miliet) ever since it was reported that government officials might have benefited from illegal action taken against a Germany charity. Last February the company was hit with a $500 million fine, and according to one report, the 2.5 billion penalty this time around represents the group's entire worth.
The action against Dogan comes just one month after a court in Istanbul closed two independent papers for publishing supposed PKK propaganda. A third independent is under investigation for reporting on a plan allegedly involving members of the military to destabilize the government.
Beyond the obvious free speech implications, the timing here is peculiar to me. The EU is scheduled to issue its annual report on Turkey's membership bid on October 14, and concerns about government censorship have already proved a stumbling block in the EU's prior dealings with Turkey. So why would Erdogan invite additional criticism now?
-Kathleen Bergin
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