Journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener were arrested in the early morning on Sunday (6 March) under allegations of membership of the Ergenekon terrorist organization, a clandestine network charged with the attempt to topple the government. Both journalists had been taken into custody with a number of other people, mostly members of the press, on Thursday (3 March) in the scope of the Ergenekon investigation.

Both Şık and Şener were taken to the Metris Prison in Istanbul.

Preceding the arrest, prosecutor Zekeriya Öz who is leading the Ergenekon investigation interrogated Şener for five hours and Şık for two hours.

Protests against arrests

The Istanbul 10^th High Criminal Court on Duty did not give a decision on both journalists before 5.50 am on Sunday morning. Many journalists had been waiting in front of the Beşiktaş (Istanbul) Courthouse. When they were informed about the arrest of their colleagues, they protested with a sit-down strike and blocked the whole road.

Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık were lead by Riot Forces teams when they left the building. The waiting journalists in front of the courthouse chanted slogans to support their two colleagues. After Şık and Şener had left to be taken to Metris Prison, the journalists blocked the coastal road to traffic by starting a sit-down protest.

Also the journalists who had been following the procedures left their cameras aside and joined the protest action.