the raid. Police retreated only to reappear in the afternoon when Dumanli gave himself up voluntarily. A statement by the US State Department drawing attention to raids against media outlets "openly critical of the current Turkish government", cautioned Turkey not to violate its "own democratic foundations". EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that the arrests went "against European values" and "are incompatible with the freedom of media, which is a core principle of democracy". On 19 December 2014, a court ordered that Dumanlı and seven others be released due to lack of evidence. Thousands gathered outside Çağlayan Courthouse in İstanbul to show support for the detained journalists and police officials. While crowds celebrated the release of Dumanlı in the courtyard of the courthouse, they protested the arrest order for Samanyolu TV General Manager Hidayet Karaca and former police chiefs Tufan Ergüder, Ertan Erçıktı and Mustafa Kılıçaslan. March 2016 government takeover On 4 March 2016, the Turkish government seized control of Zaman. The government takeover occurred after a court order that was widely criticized by Zaman newspaper staff. After the takeover, the Zaman website was closed for two days with a message stating that the site was being updated. All archived news and content became inaccessible, with some claiming all the data had been wiped. Two days later, the first government-controlled edition appeared, with no mention of the events during its seizure and with its front page carrying a series of pro-government articles and a picture of a smiling president Erdogan. See also Abdülhamit Bilici Media freedom in Turkey Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état References External links Zaman Austria Zaman Netherlands Newspapers published in Istanbul Turkish-language newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Turkey Conservatism in Turkey 1986 establishments in Turkey Newspapers established in 1986 Internet properties established in 1995 Mass media shut down in the 2016 Turkish purges Publications disestablished in 2016 Daily newspapers published in Turkey