The new Turkey
Eren Erdem.
Former Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy

 

A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release on probation of former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Eren Erdem, who was detained in June 2018 over links to a terrorist organisation, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.

An Istanbul court delivered its verdict in the lawsuit filed against Erdem, who remains on trial over his work during his time as the editor-in-chief of Karşı newspaper. The 32-year-old former lawmaker is charged with links to the Gülen movement, which Ankara designates a terrorist organisation and accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Erdem faces between 8.5 years to 19 years behind bars for “aiding a terrorist organization,” “revealing the identity of a secret witness,” and “violating the confidentiality of a criminal investigation," over publishing illegal wiretappings when he was the editor of the opposition newspaper.

The former CHP lawmaker, who was not present during the hearing on Monday and attended via a voice and video informatics system (SEGBİS), lost his seat in parliament in the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections. Source

A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release of former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Eren Erdem, who was detained in June 2018 over links to a terrorist organisation, pending trial, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.

However, following the ruling, Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Office objected to the release decision and a new arrest order is issued by a higher court as a precaution against Erdem's fleeing of the country.

An Istanbul court delivered its verdict in the lawsuit filed against Erdem, who remains on trial over his work during his time as the editor-in-chief of Karşı newspaper. The 32-year-old former lawmaker is charged with links to the Gülen movement, which Ankara designates a terrorist organisation and accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Erdem faces between 8.5 years to 19 years behind bars for “aiding a terrorist organization,” “revealing the identity of a secret witness,” and “violating the confidentiality of a criminal investigation," over publishing illegal wiretappings when he was the editor of the opposition newspaper.

The former CHP lawmaker, who was not present during the hearing on Monday and attended via a voice and video informatics system (SEGBİS), lost his seat in parliament in the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections. Source

 
The “Karşı newspaper trial,” where 12 defendants, including the former publisher of the shuttered daily, Turan Ababey, and the newspaper’s former employees, including its one-time editor in chief Eren Erdem, stand accused of various criminal charges on account of their work at the newspaper, got under way on 31 October in Istanbul. At the end of the three-day hearing, the court ruled for the continuation of Eren Erdem’s detention.
 
Erdem, a former CHP MP, was jailed pending trial in June on accusations stemming from his time as Karşı editor in chief as part of the case overseen by the 35th High Criminal Court of Istanbul. Erdem is charged with “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization without being part of its hierarchical structure,” “revealing the identity of a secret witness” and “violating the confidentiality of an investigation.”
 
The 23rd High Criminal Court of Istanbul, which later accepted an indictment into the publisher and employees of Karşı, ruled to merge the case file with the file before the 35th High Criminal Court against Erdem. An appellate court later ruled that the 23rd High Criminal Court should have jurisdiction over the merged case.
 
The indictment for the merged case file seeks up to 15 years of imprisonment for Alaaddin Akkaşoğlu, the owner of the newspaper’s website, karşıgazete.com, and a partner of the shuttered Akis Publications; karşıgazete.com chief editor Mehmet Aydoğmuş; Our Kala, who is purported to be the owner of the Twitter account “@Fedakarkisi”; Murat Kazancı, the news director for the hardcopy; and Emrah Direk, on the charge of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” Also indicted is Kutlu Esendemir, the newspaper’s general coordinator, for “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization without being its member.” He also faces 15 years in prison.
 
The indictment also seeks up to 18 years in prison each for Karşı reporter Ufuk Emin Köroğlu and former editor in chief of the shuttered Millet daily, Değer Özergün, on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and “disclosing the identities of public officials who have taken part in the fight against terrorism.”
 
The prosecution did not seek jail terms for Ababey, reporter Emre Erciş, and responsible managing editor Mehmet Bozkurt, who are charged with “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization without being its member.” Instead the prosecution asked that they benefit from effective remorse.
 
The 23rd High Criminal Court had also issued arrest warrants for five of the suspects: Alaaddin Akkaşoğlu, Değer Özergün, Mehmet Aydoğmuş, Murat Kazancı and Onur Kala, who are accused in the indictment of using ByLock, an encrypted messaging app purported to be exclusively used by the members of the Fethullah Gülen network, which the government accuses of being the perpetrators behind the 2016 coup attempt.
 
The first hearing after the merging of the files took place over three days in Silivri. Eren Erdem, Turan Ababey, Emre Erciş, Mehmet Bozkurt and Kutlu Esendemir as well as defense lawyers were in attendance at the court.
 
Erdem gave his defense statement on the first day of the hearing, responding to the accusations against him.
 
Onur Kala, who was recently arrested, also addressed the court for his defense statement via the courtroom video-conferencing system SEGBİS from the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. He denied the accusations.
 
After the completion of the defense statements, the prosecutor requested continued detention for Erdem on grounds that “the collection of evidence was ongoing” and that there was “strong suspicion of crime.” The prosecution also asked that Onur Kala be jailed pending trial and that the case file against Alaaddin Akkaşoğlu be separated.
 
Announcing its interim ruling on the last day of the hearing, 2 November, the court ruled to keep Erdem behind bars, and jailed Kala pending trial, as well as separating Akkaşoğlu’s file. The court also ruled to await the execution of arrest warrants against Ufuk Emin Köroğlu, Emrah Direk, Değer Özergün, Mehmet Aydoğmuş and Murat Kazancı and set 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 January 2019 as the dates for the next hearing.
 
The investigation into Karşı was launched on grounds that the newspaper had revealed leaked tapes as part of the graft probes targeting the government in 2013, publicly known as “17-25 December.” Source

İstanbul MP of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Eren Erdem, who was not nominated as MP candidate at the 27th term presidential election on June 24 and was taken into custody in Ankara today (June 29), was referred to the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.

Erdem, who was taken to İstanbul early this morning, appeared before judge at the İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court. At the hearing of Erdem, which was also watched by several MPs of the CHP, the attorney Onur Cıngıl made his defence regarding the case.

Eren Erdem was arrested after the defence of his attorney.

"I am being tried due to the lies of A Haber"

In his statement of defence, Eren Erdem said,

"Though I previously proved at the court that I did not make the statement, 'If Turkey and Iran go to war, I will side with Iran', they are still telling the same lie. Using this lie on purpose is a sign of malicious intention. I did not post such a tweet, which was also confirmed by the court.

"I have been acquitted of the case of Sarin Gas, over which the media sparked such a big storm. But, they are acting as if I am still being tried at that case. If one penny was given to the Karşı newspaper by the FETÖ [Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, which is held responsible for the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016], condemn me to death. I am being tried due to the lies of the [pro-government] A Haber news channel."

What happened?

A lawsuit was filed against Eren Erdem at İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court due to his works at Karşı newspaper, of which Erdem was the chief editor.

Erdem faces a prison sentence of 9.5 years to 22 years on charges of "knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization as a non-member", "revealing the identity of an anonymous witness" and "violating the confidentiality of the investigation."

It was previously ruled that the first hearing of Erdem be held at 10 a.m. on September 19, 2018.

After the indictment of the case was accepted by the court, Eren Erdem could not go to Germany on May 21 due to the international travel ban imposed on him. (EKN/HK/SD) Source