Istanbul court calls for release of three journalists

A demonstration in support of the six journalists imprisoned on March 10, 2020, three of whom have just been released on Wednesday. Adem ALTAN / AFP

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In Turkey, an Istanbul court on Wednesday (June 24th) released three journalists accused of revealing the identity of a secret service agent killed in Libya, where Turkey intervened militarily to support the government of national union. Three other journalists, prosecuted in the same trial, remain in prison for the time being.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer

Faced with their judges for the first time, in front of their friends and relatives who came to support them, when they have just spent more than three months in solitary confinement in a prison cell, the six journalists explained their defense at length.

It is, in essence, in a few words: these experienced journalists could not reveal the identity of a Turkish secret service agent who died in Libya in February for the simple reason that the name of this alleged agent - and that of a colleague killed by his side - had appeared hundreds of times on social networks before they wrote their articles.

After a hearing that lasted more than ten hours, the court decided to release three journalists, but to keep their three colleagues - Baris Pehlivan, Murat Agirel and Hülya Kilinç - in pre-trial detention.

"  The defendants have highlighted the contradictions in the case and dismantled the prosecution's arguments point by point. They did nothing but journalism, so they should all have been released, said Onur Cingil, one of the defense lawyers. We will of course challenge the continued detention of three of them, which makes no legal sense. In summary, this decision is insufficient. The three releases were justified, and must apply as quickly as possible to the other journalists.  "

The next trial hearing will take place on September 9.

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