Journalist Nadiye Gürbüz Released

Radio journalist Gürbüz was released from detention in her second hearing. Gürbüz had been detained after an operation against the Turkish communist party. Her trial is to be continued.

Bawer Çakır

General publications coordinator Nadiye Gürbüz from Izmir Democratic Radio was released yesterday (17 September) after the second hearing. Gürbüz had been arrested in the course of an operation against the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) and was kept in detention for more than 8 months.

The journalist's trial will continue but without Gürbüz's being in detention.

Request for release rejected in first hearing

Gürbüz was arrested in a raid on her home in the Izmir district of Balçova on 4 February. Three days later on 7 February she was taken to court and got detained. The radio journalist was brought to the Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison on Istanbul's European side.

Gürbüz's first hearing took place on 27 August when her request for release from detention was rejected. Mine Özalp and Sakine Solmaz, who were detained together with Gürbüz, were released after the first hearing.

In yesterday's second hearing the Istanbul 9^th High Criminal Court decided to release detained Gürbüz and trial her without detention. She is under charges of membership of the MLKP and conducting the organization's financial affairs.

The Democratic Radio employees showed solidarity to their colleague Nadiye Gürbüz ever since she had been detained and thanked everybody for her release. (BÇ/VK)