CUMOK, a nongovernmental organization of Cumhuriyet daily readers, protested the daily in front of its stand at the TÜYAP book fair in Istanbul, saying that the paper shifted its policy in favor of the PKK terrorist organization and the controversial Gülen Movement, which is led by the U.S.-based fugitive imam, Fethullah Gülen.

Cumhuriyet, whose editor-in-chief is Can Dündar, recently came under fire for censoring its columnist Bedri Baykam and taking his weekly column out of the paper due to its content being critical of Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The daily now faces criticism from its readers owing to continuous articles allegedly in favor the PKK and the Gülen Movement.

CUMOK coordinator Namık Kemal Boya read a statement aloud in which he rebuked the daily and said CUMOK is boycotting the daily. Boya argued that the daily is now far from enlightening the people or nation. "Claims and threats originating from the HDP [Peoples' Democratic Party], PKK, [Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud] Barzani and FETÖ (Gülenist Terror Organization) are on your table every day decorated with articles and pictures," he said.