Journalist Hakan Tahmaz is in the dock for his interview held with leading official of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Kandil Mountain in the pre-dominantly Kurdish region of south-eastern Turkey. His colleague Temel Demirer is due to the dock himself for his statement that Turkish-Armenian journalist "Hrant Dink was not killed for being Armenian, but for recognising the genocide [of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915]."

Human rights defender Tahmaz, Birgün newspaper editorial manager İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu and owner of the daily Bülent Yılmaz stand accused of "publishing statements of PKK/KONGRAGEL" according to article 6/2 of the Anti-Terror Act (TMY). Reason for the prosecution is the interview entitled "Unilateral Ceasefire Amplifies the Problem" published in Birgün daily on 9 August 2008.

Last phase of trial on Kandil interview

Prosecutor Savaş Kırbaş from the Istanbul 10^th High Criminal Court demanded to punish the three defendants by reason of the interview with Murat Karayılan, leader of the KCK (Koma Civaken Kurdistan), known as the umbrella organization of the PKK.

The three defendants will now prepare their defence to be presented in the coming hearing on 1 June. A decision may be reached in the same hearing.

The prosecution demands imprisonment of up to three years for Tahmaz and Çeşmecioğlu, Yılmaz is facing a heavy monetary fine.

Change of courts for Demirer

Journalist and author Temel Demirer is facing prison sentence of up to two years for his statement made the day after the assassination of Hrant Dink in January 2007. He is prosecuted under article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK). Saying "I do not let anybody call my state a murderer", Demirer tries to annul the approval for his case which was issued by Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin at the administrative court.

Upon the decline of the Administrative Court of the request to discontinue the proceedings, Demirer's lawyers appealed once more to the Regional Administrative Court on 29 January. The Ankara 2^nd Criminal Court of First Instance has been waiting for a decision from the administrative court since 14 November 2008.

Coming hearing on 20 May

On Wednesday (17 March) Demirer went to the Ankara court and got to know that his file has been forwarded to the Ankara 11^th Criminal Court of First Instance. The writer's case will be continued on 20 May.

Demirer was accompanied to court by sociologist İsmail Beşikçi, writer Fikret Başkaya and members of the Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought. (EÖ/VK)