Özgür Gündem Daily’s Editor-in-Chief Kaya, Chief Editor Kızılkaya Arrested

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Özgür Gündem daily’s Editor-in-Chief Zana Kaya and Chief Editor İnan Kızılkaya were arrested on charge of “being a member of an [illegal] organization.

The journalists were arrested in accordance with the Article 100 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) on charges of being a member of an armed terrorist organization and on grounds of the explanations in the protocol, that “the journalists were found guilty of the aforementioned crime for being active in the respective newspaper which was financed by, founded by and under the control of the terrorist organization of PKK/KCK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party / Kurdistan Communities Union] and contained interviews with Bese Hozat from PKK”.

Kaya and Kızılkaya who denied the accusations have filed complaints against the police officers for having beaten them during their six-day detention.

What had happened?

İstanbul 8th Court of Peace shut down Özgür Gündem newspaper. The decision said that the newspaper will be “temporarily shut down” but did not mention how long it would remain closed.

Following the decision made by İstanbul 8th Criminal Court of Peace to shut down Özgür Gündem daily, police raided the newspaper’s building. 22 were taken into custody.

Police also launched a raid into the apartment of Filiz Koçali and Eren Keskin as well as Sinan Zarakolu, the son of publisher, columnist and journalist Ragıp Zarakolu, who was registered at this address.

The 22 taken into custody were released. Özgür Gündem daily’s Editor-in-Chief Zana Kaya and Chief Editor İnan Kızılkaya were referred to prosecution.

Novelist Aslı Erdoğan was also detained on August 19. (HY/AS/EA/DG)