Journalists not Allowed to Enter Oda TV Hearing

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The summary judgement of the journalists Ahmet Şık, Nedim Şener, Soner Yalçın and Yalçın Küçük and former Security Director Hanefi Avcı has begun.

The journalists haven’t been allowed to enter the trial based on the justification that the courtroom is full.

gazeteciler odatv davasina sokulmuyor pic.twitter.com/cY89UteDko

— ekin (@ekin_karaca) 15 Şubat 2017

Only three people were permitted to enter upon journalists’ reaction but it wasn’t accepted. The journalists asked why the small room was provided while it was known that it would be crowded.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu said this practice aims to prevent the journalists from observing the trial.

“Such a thing didn’t occur even in the State Security Courts*”.

As many as 250 people waiting outside of the courtroom chanted slogans “Ahmet will get out [of jail] and will resume writing”.

Of the Oda TV case suspects, Ahmet Şık  is imprisoned in Silivri Prison on charge of “Propagandizing for FETÖ (Fethullahist Terror Organization) and PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party)”.

The journalists gathering in front of the courthouse unfurled a banner reading “The plot is ongoing. We haven’t remained silent and we won’t”. (EKN/YY/BK/TK)

 * Under the 1982 Constitution the then military government established State Security Courts to try cases involving crimes against the security of the state, and organized crime