Kurdish Chief Editor Released after Defence in Kurdish

The 4^th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır (south-eastern Anatolia) released Mehdi Tanrıkulu, editorial manager of the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper, pending trial. Tanrıkulu was detained on 8 April because he had insisted to present his defence in Kurdish.

Journalist Tanrıkulu stands trial on the grounds of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" based on an article published in the Kurdish daily on 23 January 2010. In his article, Tanrıkulu had described imprisoned leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Adullah Öcalan, as the "Leader of the Kurdish People". Moreover, he referred to the PKK as the "Kurdish Freedom Movement".

Facing more than 40 years behind bars

In the trial on subject, Tanrıkulu can be sentenced to a maximum of ten years in jail. However, the editorial manager is facing prison sentences of more than 40 years in total due to other cases opened against him by reason of articles and news published in the Kurdish daily.

Tanrıkulu is tried under a six-count charge of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" based on article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law and under charges of "membership of an illegal organization".

Tanrıkulu attended the hearing on 20 May together with his lawyers Mehmet Emin Aktar and Servet Özen.

Lawyer Aktar stated that the articles published in the newspaper should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of thought. He demanded to release his client pending trial. After a brief intermission, the court decided for the release of Tanrıkulu.

Tanrıkulu is still facing the danger of being convicted of "membership of an illegal organization, just like Vedat Kurşun, former editorial manager of the Kurdish newspaper, who received a prison sentence of 166.5 years on 13 May. (EÖ/VK)