Three Local Journalists on Trial

Two journalists of the "Söz TV and Newspaper" in Diyarbakir (south-eastern Turkey) and the responsible director of the local "Emirdag" newspaper in Afyonkarahisar ( central Anatolia) are still on trial.

"Insult in print"

Sait Bayram and Firat Avci , news editor and journalist of " Söz " respectively, were arrested in Diyarbakir on 18 June and released on 20 July. They had published an article claiming that judge Mehmet Yücel of Diyarbakir's first criminal court of peace had been transferred because he had accepted bribes. They will appear in court again on 31 October.

On 18 June 2007, the two journalists had published an article entitled "He has been transferred to Diyarbakir for taking bribes". They had been arrested for "insulting local authorities in print".

The journalists were kept in prison until their first hearing. They are now being tried by a penal court in Diyarbakir. Editor-in-chief Ömer Büyüktimur said at the time of their arrest, "We are saddened, we made news and we stand behind our news."

"Insulting an officer on duty"

In the second case, " Emirdag " responsible director Mustafa Koyuncu was arrested on 13 March for "insulting an officer on duty". His trial will continue on 3 October. Koyuncu is currently doing his military service, which will end in the middle of September.

Koyuncu had spent a week in prison after being stopped in traffic and arrested. The article in question, entitled "Should we have entered the EU like this? They are abusing their positions", was published on 12 March 2007.

44 police officers have filed complaints against the journalist, who had reported the claims of detained people in the article.

Meanwhile Sinan Kara of the " Datca News " has been released from prison after serving a five-month sentence handed out when he was the owner of the newspaper. (EÖ/NZ/AG)