Journalist Released from Jail under "PKK Propaganda" Charges

Abdurrahman Gök, reporter for the Dicle News Agency (DIHA) was beaten up and arrested when he was covering the Newroz festival in Siirt, southeastern Turkey, in March this year.

At a hearing at the 4th High Criminal Court in Diyarbakır yesterday (24 November), he was released pending trial.

Gök stands accused of "spreading PKK propaganda."

Yesterday was the second hearing, and the prosecutor opposed his release. The next hearing will be on 19 December.

Accusation of police harassment

The reporter was arrested together with seven others. His colleague from DIHA, Celal Kalpak, said, "When Gök was arrested, we were at the exit of the celebration area. The police were harrassing him and then arrested him. When we protested, one police officer accused him of throwing stones at other officers. I told him that I did not believe him, that he had only carried out his journalistic work, and that the arrest was arbitrary."

Since his arrest, Gök has been in prison in Siirt.

He has been put on trial because he covered the Newroz celebrations for the satellite Roj TV, a channel broadcasting from Denmark.

Turkey has often demanded that Denmark close down the channel, saying that it broadcasts PKK propaganda. (EÖ/AG)