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The trial of closed Özgür Gündem newspaper’s consulting board members, administrators and writers continued today (March 14). The court rejected the demands that the arrested defendants be released and the ban on the leaving the country for those who are released by the court pending a trial be lifted.
The hearing will continue on June 22.
The indictment was accepted on November 23, 2016 and the trial started on December 29.
Author and the newspaper’s consulting board member Aslı Erdoğan, author and consulting board member Necmiye Alpay, Özgür Gündem Editor-in-Chief Zana (Bilir) Kaya, Özgür Gündem Managing Editor İnan Kızılkaya, writer Eren Keskin, writer and consultant board member Filiz Koçali, writer and consulting board member Ragıp Zarakolu, owner Kemal Sancılı and consulting board member Bilge Aykut are tried.
Aslı Erdoğan, Necmiye Alpay and Zana Kaya were released in the first trial. Erdoğan was arrested since August 19, Alpay since August 31 and Kaya since August 22.
In the second hearing, pleas of Bilge Oykut and Zana (Bilir) Kaya were completed, and the demand that Kızılkaya be released was rejected. The newspaper’s owner Sancılı was arrested the day after. (TP/HK/TK)
