The new Turkey Ender Öndeş
24-Jan-2019 13:49
“Özgür Gündem raid” trial adjourned until January On June 29, an Istanbul court continued hearing the trial into 22 journalists who were forcibly taken into custody by the police during a 2016 raid on the offices of the now closed down pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem. The journalists are charged with resisting arrest and insulting police officers. Twenty-four journalists were taken into custody during the August 2016 raid, which took place after a court had ordered the closure of the paper. In addition to Özgür Gündem employees, several journalists from other news outlets who were at the scene to cover the raid were also detained. The journalists were later released, however, an indictment was issued against 22 of them, accusing them of resisting arrest and insulting the police officers during the raid, and seeking 8 years and 4 months in prison for each. Özgür Gündem employees Ender Öndeş, Kemal Bozkurt and Elif Aydoğmuş presented their defense statements during the June 29 hearing at the 5th Criminal Court of First Instance of Istanbul. All three journalists asked for their mobile phones, confiscated during the investigation phase, to be returned. The court rejected journalists’ requests and adjourned the trial until January 30, 2019.* 18 August 2016: *Journalists d etained in Özgür Gündem* raid released** Most journalists and staff detained in Tuesday's raid on the offices of pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem in Istanbul on Tuesday were released today without charge, news website Bianet reported. Editor-in-Chief Bilir Kaya and News Editor İnan Kızılkaya were still in custody, according to the news agency ETHA. Aslı Erdoğan, a columnist and member of the newspaper's publishing board detained from her house after the August 16 raid of the newspaper's office, was also still in custody. Those taken to the Çağlayan Courthouse for questioning and then set free are: Elif Aydoğmuş, Sevdiye Ergürbüz, Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Amine Demirkıran, Günay Aksoy, Burcu Özkara, Kemal Bozkurt, Önder Elaldı, Ender Öndeş, Sinan Balık, Davut Uçar, Fırat Yeşilçınar, Zeki Erden, Bilir Kaya, Ersin Çaksu and Bayram Balcı from Özgür Gündem; Özgür Paksoy and Mesut Kaynar from Dicle News Agency (DİHA); and Gökhan Çetin and Gülfem Karataş of IMC TV. The DİHA and IMC TV journalists had gone to the Özgür Gündem offices after hearing news of the court decision to shut down the newspaper, and police detained them alongside Özgür Gündem staff. Three prosecutors questioned the journalists re

The new Turkey

Ender Öndeş

24-Jan-2019 13:49

“Özgür Gündem raid” trial adjourned until January

On June 29, an Istanbul court continued hearing the trial into 22 journalists who were forcibly taken into custody by the police during a 2016 raid on the offices of the now closed down pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem.

The journalists are charged with resisting arrest and insulting police officers.

Twenty-four journalists were taken into custody during the August 2016 raid, which took place after a court had ordered the closure of the paper. In addition to Özgür Gündem employees, several journalists from other news outlets who were at the scene to cover the raid were also detained. The journalists were later released, however, an indictment was issued against 22 of them, accusing them of resisting arrest and insulting the police officers during the raid, and seeking 8 years and 4 months in prison for each.

Özgür Gündem employees Ender Öndeş, Kemal Bozkurt and Elif Aydoğmuş presented their defense statements during the June 29 hearing at the 5th Criminal Court of First Instance of Istanbul. All three journalists asked for their mobile phones, confiscated during the investigation phase, to be returned.

The court rejected journalists’ requests and adjourned the trial until January 30, 2019.*

18 August 2016:
Journalists d etained in Özgür Gündem raid released
Most journalists and staff detained in Tuesday's raid on the offices of pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem in Istanbul on Tuesday were released today without charge, news website Bianet reported. Editor-in-Chief Bilir Kaya and News Editor İnan Kızılkaya were still in custody, according to the news agency ETHA. Aslı Erdoğan, a columnist and member of the newspaper's publishing board detained from her house after the August 16 raid of the newspaper's office, was also still in custody.

Those taken to the Çağlayan Courthouse for questioning and then set free are: Elif Aydoğmuş, Sevdiye Ergürbüz, Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Amine Demirkıran, Günay Aksoy, Burcu Özkara, Kemal Bozkurt, Önder Elaldı, Ender Öndeş, Sinan Balık, Davut Uçar, Fırat Yeşilçınar, Zeki Erden, Bilir Kaya, Ersin Çaksu and Bayram Balcı from Özgür Gündem; Özgür Paksoy and Mesut Kaynar from Dicle News Agency (DİHA); and Gökhan Çetin and Gülfem Karataş of IMC TV. The DİHA and IMC TV journalists had gone to the Özgür Gündem offices after hearing news of the court decision to shut down the newspaper, and police detained them alongside Özgür Gündem staff. Three prosecutors questioned the journalists re