Turkey’s Thugocracy Prepares for Elections | Middle East Forum

In 1908, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) took control of the Ottoman Empire and became increasingly autocratic, openly threatening its critics, especially journalists. In 1910, three prominent journalists who were leading opponents of the regime—Hasan Fehmi, Ahmet Samim, and Zeki Bey—were murdered. Several other journalists were beaten by thugs commissioned by the CUP.