ISTANBUL - Thousands of people rallied in Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday to protest against growing state pressure on independent media in Turkey, including arrests, shutdowns and the appointment of government administrators to run news outlets, AFP reported.

Source: AFP via The Business Standard

Police estimated at least 3,000 people attended the demonstration in each city. Protesters, mainly journalists, rights activists and opposition representatives, held up photographs of jailed journalists and chanted "Enough!", "We can no longer breathe!", "We will not be silenced" and "We will not bow to pressure", AFP said.

Source: AFP via Turkish Minute

The Turkish Journalists' Union said authorities had jailed 11 journalists over the past two months and shut down several media outlets. Earlier this month, police raided Halk TV, one of Turkey's most-watched news channels, halting broadcasts and installing a government-appointed administrator, in the latest move against an outlet critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

Authorities also blocked the website and social media accounts of the digital news outlet T24 over what officials described as "LGBT propaganda". Protesters also cited the case of BirGun reporter Ismail Ari, who was imprisoned for a second time in seven months on charges of insulting a public official and publicly disseminating misleading information, following a complaint by broadcasting regulator chief Ebubekir Sahin.

"This gathering is not simply about standing up for journalists. It is also about defending respect for society's right to access information and news through journalists and independent media," veteran journalist Zafer Arapkirli told AFP after the Istanbul protest.

Press freedom in Turkey has faced increasing restrictions since a failed coup attempt in 2016, including prosecutions, digital censorship and official allegations of fake news against journalists, AFP reported.