ANKARA, Turkey – A Turkish newspaper says authorities decided to expel one of its journalists — an Azerbaijani national — after he posted anti-government tweets.
Today's Zaman newspaper said Mahir Zeynalov left Turkey for Azerbaijan on Friday before the government took steps to enforce a deportation order. He was nevertheless escorted by police at the airport.
The decision comes at a time of heightened concerns over media freedoms in Turkey. This week, Parliament approved measures, not yet signed into law by the president, to tighten government controls over the Internet.
Editor-in-Chief Bulent Kenes said Zeynalov was under investigation for allegedly insulting officials in tweets critical of the government's handling of a police corruption probe.
The newspaper is affiliated with an Islamic movement which the government accuses of instigating the corruption probe.
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