Turkey: Newspaper suspended for one month under anti-terror law

The publication of Halkin Gunlugu (The People’s Agenda) newspaper was suspended for one month on 10 September. All copies of the paper were seized and distribution of the latest issue is to be stopped under Article 25/2 of the Press Law and Articles 6/2 and 7/2 of Law No.3713 (Anti-Terror Law). The decision stems from a series of articles in the 18th issue of the weekly paper which covered the deaths of militants in the Maoist Communist Party and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army, in armed conflicts. The prosecution ordered the publication ban on grounds of alleged “propaganda for an illegal armed terrorist organisation”.

Turkey: Investigative journalists complete six months in detention before trial

Two Turkish investigative journalists have spent six months in prison before they go to trial. Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener were arrested on 3 March for being involved with the alleged terrorist conspiracy known as “Ergenekon.” Turkish authorities jailed Sik for an unpublished draft copy of a book he had written which is said to contain revelations about the “Ergenekon” plot. Prosecutor Cihan Kansiz set a date for the trial of the 14 defendants, including Sik, Sener and nine other journalists last week. Many of the defendants work for Oda TV news website and were arrested between 18 February and 3 March.

Turkey: Police raid TV station and newspaper, detain journalists

On 18 August, police in Istanbul raided the office of newspaper Aydinlik, as well as Ulusal Kanal television station. Officials detained five journalists following the raids, reportedly in connection to an ongoing investigation of Ergenekon, a “secular ultra-nationalist group” for attempts to oust the adminstration of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Four of the journalists were released, but Turhan Özlü, executive editor of Ulusal Kanal, remains in custody.

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