Originally held on allegations of "military espionage," Yıldız was jailed on charges of "disclosing confidential information relating to the political interests or security of the state".
1This statement was originally published on expressioninterrupted.com on 13 June 2020.
Journalist Müyesser Yıldız was jailed pending trial on 12 June 2020 after spending four days in custody.
Yıldız, Odatv news portal’s Ankara news director, and Tele 1 TV Ankara Bureau Chief İsmail Dükel were taken into custody on 8 June in Ankara. A non-commissioned officer who goes by the initials E.B. was also arrested as part of the same investigation. They were arrested on the allegation of “Political or military espionage” under Article 328 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
All three were sent to the Ankara Courthouse late on 11 June after giving their statements at the anti-terror division of the Ankara Police Department. At the courthouse, they first gave their statements to Ankara Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Veysel Kaçmaz. During their interrogation, the prosecutor questioned Yıldız and Dükel about their correspondence with E.B. The prosecutor then referred all three to a judgeship, seeking their imprisonment for “Disclosing confidential information relating to the security or political interests of the state” under TCK Article 329.
The Ankara 3rd Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled to jail Yıldız and E.B. on the same charge while releasing Dükel under judicial control measures. Yıldız and E.B. were jailed on the grounds that there was “strong suspicion of crime, the likelihood of tampering with evidence and flight risk.”
Background
Turkey arrests four more journalists for covering intelligence officer’s death in Libya
