Journalists detained in coup plot released from jail

Four Turkish journalists detained on charges of links to an underground anti-government network were released on Monday afternoon.
Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık are among the four journalists jailed pending trial in the so-called Odatv case. ۱۳ suspects are facing charges of involvement in the media wing of Ergenekon, a shadowy network believed to have plotted to topple the government, in the ongoing Odatv news portal case.
Şener and Şık were arrested in March and held in a top-security prison outside İstanbul since then. Their arrest has raised concerns over media freedoms in Turkey. The United States, the European Union and rights groups have criticized prosecution of journalists which they say taints Turkey's image as a role model for democracy in the Middle East.

Two other suspects, Coşkun Musluk and Sait Çakır, were also released on Monday.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç welcomed the release of the journalists as a “positive development” without directly commenting on the ruling.

"One can only be glad at their release. It is saddening that they spent ۳۷۵ days inside," Arınç told a news conference on Monday.

He said “we should in fact question why the court didn’t delivere this decision before.” Arınç said he hopes the court will deliver similar decisions in other cases. He was speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

The European Union also welcomed the court decision on Monday. Peter Stano, spokesperson of EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Füle, said the release of the journalists was “a pleasing step.”

He added that the bloc will monitor the case, noting that the progress report that is set to be released in the autumn would also mention the release of the journalists.

Prosecutors say a number of documents seized from the news portal include various strategies to manipulate the media and the public to get support for an investigation into Ergenekon.

Şener and Şık are accused of establishing a terrorist organization, managing it, being a member of it, inciting hatred and animosity among the public, obtaining documents related to the security of the state, being in possession of documents that are prohibited from being revealed and violating private lives.

By the release of four suspects, there are now six jailed suspects in the Odatv case.

The İstanbul court rejected the demand of release of jailed suspects Yalçın Küçük, Soner Yalçın, Barış Pehlivan, Barış Terkoğlu, Hanefi Avcı and Müyesser Uğur during the same hearing on Monday.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu welcomed what he said “belated release” of the journalists in a written statement and said he hopes the release of the journalists may open a "door of freedom" for other people, who are unfairly deprived of their freedom.

The decision of the ۱۶th İstanbul High Criminal Court overseeing the case came as a surprise.

Relatives, friends and colleagues of the freed journalists shouted for joy outside the court and some cried and hugged each other on hearing the news.

"Ahmet and Nedim are free", people shouted, shocked at the decision. "At last."

Şık's brother Bülent Şık told Reuters: "Today's decision was a surprise for Ahmet and Nedim. They didn't expect it either".

The court based its decision on the length of time the defendants had already spent in prison and the low risk of them being able to tamper with evidence in the case.

Critics accuse the government of scare-mongering over Ergenekon to silence opponents. The government denies any such motive. Rights groups also criticised the length of time defendants remain in custody awaiting trial.

Lawyers for the defendants argue that computer documents central to the evidence against their clients were introduced by computer viruses and that this had been confirmed by investigations conducted by four universities.

If found guilty the defendants face a maximum of ۱۵ years in prison.

The next hearing is scheduled for June ۱۸.

Şener and Şık have already set out their defence, calling the charges against them politically motivated and "a massacre of justice".

Turkey is holding nearly ۱۰۰ members of the news media in jail, one of the highest numbers worldwide, although the government says that they are not being prosecuted because of what they have written or broadcast.