Yusuf Ozan, a presenter for the pro-government Akit TV, on Sunday targeted the opposition daily over a story it ran on the Afrin offensive in Syria, saying Cumhuriyet journalists deserve to be executed

Commenting on a Cumhuriyet report about 11 Turkish soldiers killed on Saturday in the Afrin region of north-western Syria, Ozan said, "You liked the number 11. It gave you a rush and you put it in the headline. I wish Turkey was a one-man regime that would close you down in two minutes. I wish Turkey was a Sharia regime that would execute you. I’m saying this clearly: You are all traitors."

"Democracy is a pretext you resort to. Democracy is a lie. It is permissible to kill you during a war. You deserve to be beheaded. Maybe I am being defeated by my rage. But you are really dishonest. God damn you! You are dishonest and undignified. You don’t have a trace of religion or faith. You are remnants of a past period. You are crypto Zionists," added Ozan, suggesting that the Cumhuriyet’s headline '11 martyrs in Afrin' is a 'perception management operation.'

A total of 17 current and former writers, cartoonists and executives from opposition Cumhuriyet are currently being tried on controversial terror charges in a trial that began on July 24.

Turkish AKP government officially declared on January 20 the launch of an offensive targeting the positions of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People's Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin region in northwest Syria. The Turkish AKP government's excuse was the threat against national interests and border security.

The operation has been conducted jointly with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorist group.

AKP government says anyone who opposes its operation in northern Syria's Afrin region is siding with terrorists and will be treated accordingly. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also warned of a "heavy price" for protests against Turkey's military operation in Syria's Afrin. Turkey’s Interior Ministry on Monday announced that 449 people have been detained on terror charges due to their posts on social media critical of the operation while 124 have been detained for taking part in demonstrations protesting the operation.