Cumhuriyet’s Attorneys Cannot Receive Response to Their Objection

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Decision regarding the petition of objection attorneys filed for Cumhuriyet daily's 13 detained executives and writers with respect to 5-day ban of meeting attorneys hasn't been notified to their attorneys.

In the wake of detention of the 13 executives and writers on charge of "Committing crime for FETÖ/PDY and KCK/PKK terror organizations", the attorneys had demanded in their petition that they submitted to İstanbul 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace release of their clients and lift of detention warrant.

The prosecution didn't change its decision of meeting ban and sent the objection file to İstanbul 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace. The judgeship made its decision at around 1:30 p.m. and forwarded the file to the case's prosecutor. However, the attorneys waiting at the courthouse since 9 a.m. haven't been informed of the outcome yet.

What had happened?

İstanbul Chief Public Prosecution announced on October 31 that a prosecution has been launched against Cumhuriyet Foundation executives on charge of "Making publications that justify July 15 coup attempt and committing crime for PKK/KCK and FETÖ/PDY, if not their members".

A detention warrant was issued for 16 people, 13 of them were detained on the same day.

The detainees are Cumhuriyet Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, writers Hakan Kara, Hikmet Çetinkaya, Aydın Engin, Kadri Gürsel, caricaturist Musa Kart, Cumhuriyet Foundation Board Member attorney Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Cumhuriyet Foundation Board Member Önder Çelik, Cumhuriyet Foundation Board Member Bülent Yener, Cumhuriyet Kitap (Book) Supplement Editor-in-Chief Turhan Günay and account manager Günseli Özaltay.

There are also detention warrants for Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board President attorney Akın Atalay, journalists Nebil Özgentürk and daily's former Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar, who are abroad. (YY/TK)