ISTANBUL –
Under fierce protest from international organisations and the Turkish opposition is in Istanbul, a trial began against seventeen journalists and employees of the main Turkish oppositiekrant Cumhuriyet. They are suspected of supporting terrorist organizations. Eleven journalists are already months in custody. The main suspect, the former editor-in-chief Can Dündar, is in exile in Germany. The publisher of Cumhuriyet, Akin Atalay, risks 43 years in prison. “This process is a legal murder,” said Atalay. “They want our newspaper either silenced or over”.
There are multiple lawsuits against Dündar, oh.a. because he is secret weapon sales by the Turkish secret service to militias in Syria on the website of Cumhuriyet published. According to Erdogan went to deliveries of Turkmen and had the state must continue, according to others, were the weapons for jihadists intended. The Fethullah Gulen movement was at the height of the deliveries and had infiltrated agent of the policemen, the trucks held, everything, filming, and the material through a politician passed to Cumhuriyet.
Among the journalists accused of links with terrorist organisations, is also Ahmet Sik. Yet has this always criticised the power of the Gulen movement. He has also written about the strong bond initially between the islamic movement and the AKP, Erdogan existed. Here is Erdogan would prefer not to be reminded.