PM Yıldırım: Operation Raqqa Launched on Night of June 2

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Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım came together with editors-in-chief of several newspapers in Çankaya Palace on Sunday (June 4).

Stating that the operation in Raqqa has was launched on the night of June 2, Yıldırım has also made some remarks on press freedom and said that the disputed issue with regards to the olive groves being zoned for construction was a false perception.

With regards to the operation, Yıldırım has not mentioned which parties participated in the Raqqa operation.

"Journalists not arrested for practicing journalism"

Yıldırım with regards to the journalists behind bars said:

"We know that the journalists in Turkey, be it citizens of the Republic of Turkey or from foreign countries, being taken into custody is not related to their journalistic activities.

"They might somehow be related to terror, FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) or separatist terror. Legal action is being taken with regards to these practices. But when it is about journalists, there is increased sensibility and this aspect is brought to the forefront. (EKN/DG)

* Photograph: Hakan Göktepe - Ankara / Anadolu Agency