Turkey’s prime minister Tuesday played down a critical remark by the head of the European Parliament over the detention of journalists on terror charges.

On Monday, Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, reacted to the arrest in Turkey of a number of journalists from the Cumhuriyet daily.

He tweeted: “The detention of [editor] Murat Sabuncu and other #Cumhuriyet journalists is yet another red-line crossed against freedom of expression in #Turkey.”

However, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim rejected the criticism, saying: “Brother, we will not look at your red line.”

Speaking at a ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party parliamentary group meeting in Ankara, he added: “For us, the nation draws the red line. What impact do your red lines have?”

Police arrested 11 staffers of the Turkish daily, including the editor-in-chief, Murat Sabuncu, in Istanbul and Ankara on Monday.

The suspects were charged with “being members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization [FETO] and the PKK, and for committing crimes on behalf of these terror organizations”.

Source: Anadolu