6 Journalists’ Request for Release Rejected

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The İstanbul 4th Penal Judgeship of Peace has rejected the request for release of arrested journalists Ferhat Çelik, Aydın Keser, Barış Pehlivan, Barış Terkoğlu, Hülya Kılınç and Murat Ağırel as per the law on criminal enforcement that has entered into force as of April 15.

Çelik and Keser from daily Yeni Yaşam, Pehlivan, Terkoğlu and Kılınç from Odatv news website and Ağırel from daily Yeniçağ have been arrested on the ground that they made news regarding the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) officer who lost his life in Libya.

Their attorneys appealed to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and requested the release of their clients, referring to the amendments recently introduced by the law on criminal enforcement.

With the amendment in question, the period of supervised release for the offense of opposition to the MİT Law has been increased to 3 years. The attorneys stressed that even when journalists were convicted on this charge, their sentences would not be executed.

Evaluating the application, the judgeship has ruled for the continuation of detention of the journalists, who are charged with "disclosing information and documents relating to intelligence activities."

'Reasons for objection not found proper'

The judgement of the judgeship has read:

"Though separate requests for release were submitted for Murat Ağırel, Hülya Kılınç, Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan, the requests for release of the aforementioned suspects' defense counsels shall be separately rejected on the grounds that when taken together with the current state of evidence in the file, the quality and nature of the offense charged, records of statement, the sentence foreseen by the law and the file in its entirety, the measure of arrest has been found moderate, there is no matter that necessitates their release and their reasons for objection are not proper."

Çelik, Keser not mentioned by name in the verdict

While the application submitted to the judgeship referred to Yeni Yaşam Editor-in-Chief Ferhat Çelik and Managing Editor Aydın Keser as "the persons who objected to arrest," the verdict of the İstanbul 4th Penal Judgeship of Peace has not mentioned them by name.

Speaking to bianet about the verdict, Keser and Çelik's attorney Özcan Kılıç has said, "The same verdict has been notified to us aswell. We are in the text, but not in the conclusion part. It is a verdict written in haste. We will raise an objection." (HA/SD)