Istanbul (dpa) - The pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gun news channel said Tuesday it was taken off the air in Turkey, though it continues to operate in the country and broadcasts online.There was no official notice from Turkey‘s broadcasting authority about the channel, which is based in Diyarbakir, a mostly-Kurdish city in south-eastern Turkey, but the station says it was removed from the Turksat satellite broadcasting system.The move follows raids on Sunday against the Kurdish daily Azadiya Welat, also based in Diyarbakir. Some two dozen employees were reportedly detained, including journalists.This month, a Turkish court shut the Ozgur Gundem newspaper, also a pro-Kurdish daily, arresting several people. Novelist and columnist Asli Erdogan remains in pre-trial detention.Pen International, a freedom of speech group, has sharply criticized Erdogan‘s detention and launched a campaign for her release.According to the European Federation of Journalists, 96 journalists are currently jailed in Turkey. Turkey has stepped up arrests of reporters since the failed coup in July.
