Journalist Emrullah Acar released after six days in detention

Click to read the article in Turkish

Emrullah Acar, a reporter for Mesopotamia Agency (MA), was released yesterday (November 24) after six days in detention.

He was detained on November 19 for "being a member of an illegal organization" in an investigation by the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Brought to the Malatya Courthouse yesterday, the journalist gave a statement at the prosecutor's office and was then referred to the Penal Judgeship of Peace.

The judgeship ruled for his release on the condition of judicial control measures.

Giving his testimony, Acar was asked about a person named Barış Özcan, who he mentioned in two news articles titled, "HDP member young person forced to be informant" and "HDP member young person who was forced to be an informant dismissed from his job."

The recording of a phone conversation between Özcan and Acar was subject to accusations against the journalist.

CLICK - BIA Media Monintoring Reports

"I will continue to do journalism"

After his release, Acar said, "The crime that they say I committed is a phone conversation I had with one of my news sources. We are journalists, we talk to hundreds of people on the phone in a month.

"There is a person who was detained and there is allegedly a voice recording of a phone conversation between me and this person. Because of that, I haven't been able to do journalism for six days."

As part of the judicial control measures, he will have to check in at a police station once in a month, the journalist noted. (HA/VK)