Epress.am News from Armenia
A Turkish court ordered two journalists jailed on Sunday, pending the outcome of an investigation into accusations that the military plotted to overthrow Turkey’s pro-Islamic government in 2003, New York Times reports.
The journalists, Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik, were arrested after testifying for more than 14 hours about what the authorities said was their involvement in an effort to the topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr. Sener and Mr. Sik were known at the time for articles they wrote opposing a coup.
About 100 journalists waited in front of the courthouse as their colleagues were questioned.
Critics contend that the arrests of Mr. Sener and Mr. Sik, as well as several dozen other journalists recently, were part of an effort to intimidate opponents of Mr. Erdogan’s pro-Islamic governing Justice and Development Party. Both men have reported on the activities of a pro-Islamic group in Turkey that gained power under the auspices of the current government.
The prosecutor’s office said Sunday that reporting by the two journalists had nothing to do with their arrests, but it declined to say why they were being held.
President Abdullah Gul, in an interview with the newspaper Milliyet, said, “I expect prosecutors and courts to be more diligent in pursuing their responsibilities and act in a way not to hurt the honor and rights of the people as well as institutions.”
The Turkish Journalists’ Association said that thousands of journalists faced prosecution, and about 60 were in jail because of their writings.
“The public conscience cannot take these arrests and detentions any longer, and the glass has spilled over,” said Rusen Cakir, a journalist with the NTV news network.