The trial of Cumhuriyet daily's editor-in-chief Can Dündar and its Ankara representative, Erdem Gül, has been adjourned until April 1. The trial will be held in a closed court on the basis that state secrets will be discussed.
This statement was initially published on bianet.org on 25 March 2016.
Click here to read the article in Turkish / Haberin Türkçesi için buraya tıklayın.
The trial of Cumhuriyet daily’s editor-in-chief Can Dündar and its Ankara representative, Erdem Gül, has been adjourned until April 1.
The trial was adjourned after Members of Parliament (MPs) did not leave the courtroom, despite the board’s decision to hold the trial in a closed court. The court has ruled to take legal action against the MPs’ non-compliance with the decision.
The first hearing of the trial was held on 25 March 2016 before the 14th İstanbul High Criminal Court in Çağlayan.
In the hearing – which was attended by many observers to support the journalists – the court board accepted the [request to add] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) [as complainants in the case], despite objections from the defence lawyers. The board also decided to hold the trial in a closed court.
The audience reacted against the “closed trial” decision by chanting “what are you hiding?”
What happened?
Charges against Dündar and Gül were laid after they published an article with the headline “Here are the weapons Erdoğan claim to not exist” on May 29 2015. [They were charged with] “procuring information about state security”, “political and military espionage”, “declaring confidential information”, and “propagandizing a terrorist organization”.
Chief Public Prosecutor Hadi Salihoğlu declared the prosecution via a press release.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally filed a criminal complaint and requested Dündar to be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, life imprisonment and 42 years in prison for “targeting state interests by using images contrary to facts”.
In a live broadcast on public channel TRT, Erdoğan said, “I guess the person who made this special news will heavily pay for it”.
Dündar and Gül were imprisoned on November 26, 2015.
When their objection to their arrest was rejected, they appealed to the Constitutional Court over “violation of freedom of press and speech and the right to security”.
The Constitutional Court ruled that Gül and Dündar’s “freedom of press and expression, right to personal security have been violated [and that] their imprisonment is unlawful.”Gül and Dündar’s file was referred to the Constitutional Court General Assembly.
CLICK – AYM REPORT: ARREST OF GÜL, DÜNDAR UNLAWFUL
The Constitutional Court General Assembly ruled that journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül – imprisoned as of November 26, 2015 over their MİT truck report – had their rights violated.
CLICK – CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULES JOURNALIST CAN DÜNDAR, ERDEM GÜL EXPOSED TO VIOLATION OF RIGHT
The 14th Heavy Penal Court ruled the release of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül following the “violation of rights” verdict by the Constitutional Court.
CLICK – COURT RULES RELEASE OF CAN DÜNDAR, ERDEM GÜL
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on the Constitutional Court’s ruling to release the journalists Gül and Dündar with: “I don’t obey the court decision. I don’t respect it either”.
CLICK – ERDOGAN ON RELEASE OF GÜL AND DÜNDAR: DON’T OBEY OR RESPECT THE COURT RULING
(EA/DG)
