Aydin Engin went to jail for "Cumhuriyet". He got involved with heads of government and ministers. He worked for the daily newspaper for 14 years - as a reporter, editor-in-chief, most recently as a columnist. Now he has thrown out his job - like many of his colleagues. "I can not work for the 'Cumhuriyet' with a clear conscience," says Engin.

The "Cumhuriyet" is one of the last remaining government-critical newspapers in Turkey. It is owned by a foundation whose eleven-member board was replaced last Friday after a year-long internal power struggle.

AFP

Aydin Engin at his arrest in 2016

Right-wing forces in the Foundation did not fit the left-liberal course of the paper, which former editor-in-chief Can Dündar had once pushed. They forced the reelection of the board in court, which they surprisingly won.

The "Cumhuriyet" is now led by nationalists who are supposed to be closer to the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan than their predecessors. "It's about silencing critical voices in this country," says journalist Engin.

The freedom of the press in Turkey has eroded in recent years: Erdogan has closed 150 media houses after the coup attempt of 15 July 2016, more than 150 journalists are in prison. Nine out of ten newspapers and broadcasters are more or less under government control. In the spring, the station "CNN Türk" and the daily newspaper "Hürriyet", which at least still sometimes objectively reported, sold to a friend of Erdogan.

The change of leadership in the "Cumhuriyet" is considered by many opponents as a further low blow. "Is that the death knell for what was left of the free press in Turkey?" Asks Kati Piri, Turkey's European Parliament rapporteur.

Erdogan's campaign against "Cumhuriyet"

The "Cumhuriyet" (German: Republic) is not just any newspaper: It is one of the oldest newspapers in Turkey and is almost as old as the Republic itself. In the spring of 2015, the "Cumhuriyet" managed a scoop: Her former editor-in-chief Can Dündar reported on Arms deliveries of the Turkish secret service to Islamist extremists in Syria. For this paid Dündar a high price. He was jailed for three months and left for Berlin in summer 2016 following his release.

DPA

Can Dündar

Nevertheless, Erdogan continued his campaign against the Cumhuriyet: in October, November and December 2016, Dündar's successor, Murat Sabuncu, columnist Aydin Engin and nine other members of the newspaper were arrested for alleged terrorist support. They were sometimes remanded for more than one and a half years before a court sentenced most of them to several years' imprisonment in the spring. Their lawyers have appealed, as long as the journalists are at large.

New Foundation Board is Stronger Nationalist

Alev Coskun, who was elected to the foundation board of the "Cumhuriyet" on Friday, has testified in the trial of Sabuncu and his colleagues, why employees of the newspaper feel his rise as a special mockery. "I watched every single day of the trial and saw colleagues conspiring against journalists who did nothing but do their job," says Istanbul author Sebnem Arsu. The development of the "Cumhuriyet" was a "blow to all who believe in true journalism".

How exactly the change at the top of the foundation in the coverage of the newspaper affects, is still unclear. Coskun, 83 years old, is a staunch nationalist who rejects Islamism but sympathizes with those ultra-nationalists surrounding Interior Minister Sülyeman Soylu, who have dramatically gained influence in the Erdogan government over the past few months.

Aykut Kücükkaya, who replaces Sabuncu as editor-in-chief, is considered an incorruptible and capable journalist. He will, however, have to work with a heavily decimated team: about two dozen "Cumhuriyet" employees have already declared their withdrawal, including online boss Bülent Mumay. The Cumhuriyet, which has survived trials and a bomb attack, is in the worst crisis of its history.