Erdogan Has Dutch Journalist Arrested for Her Criticism

Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan continues his march against critical media with the arrest of a Dutch journalist of Turkish descent whose criticism of the president appeared in a newspaper in the Netherlands. Ebru Umar was on holiday in Turkey when she was detained. A short time ago Umar wrote a column criticizing a Turkish diplomat for calling on Turkish citizens in the Netherlands to report incidents of where someone criticizes Erdogan. The president is seemingly preoccupied with what is said about him: he’s already initiated legal action against some 1,800 people who have allegedly “insulted” him. In one of his most celebrated recent moves, Erdogan somehow convinced German Chancellor Angela Merkel to allow a German prosecutor to take legal action against a German comedian who allegedly “mocked” him.