Journalist Ahmet Şık Facing More Charges in Wake of His Release

A court in Istanbul's Silivri district accepted the indictment against journalist Ahmet Şık in relation to a speech he delivered on March 12 just as he had come out of Silivri Prison where he had spent a year under arrest in connection with the OdaTV trial. Şık is now facing charges of "threat" and "defaming civil servants for their duties."

"Deficient justice will not bring about law and democracy. There are five [suspects] under arrest only in my case, and around 100 journalists are still [in prison.] The issue of the freedom of speech is not merely a journalists' problem. There are about 600 students [behind bars.] We are going to keep waging this struggle... The police, prosecutors and judges who plotted and executed this conspiracy will enter this prison. Justice will prevail when they enter here. The culprits of this affair are [certain] figures in the bureaucracy and the police connected to the [religious Gülen] community, and the true culprit is the government of the AKP (Justice and Development Party) who keeps silent in the face of all this," journalist Şık had said immediately after his exit from Silivri Prison.

The Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court had released him pending trial on March 12 after he remained locked up in Silivri Prison for 375 days.

The indictment prepared by Silivri Prosecutor Necip Doğan also included other comments uttered by Şık during a live phone interview with the broadcasting station CNNTürk.

"I am merely asking where we had left off, and I will continue where I had left off. If this is a war, then war is starting now. Everyone should mind their step. There is no justice here. Those who devised this conspiracy will enter prison," Şık had said during his interview on CNNTürk.

The indictment against him now claims that his comments do not fall within the limits of the freedom of thought and criticism.

The quality of the threats uttered by journalist Şık, who is currently standing trial on the charge of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization," surpasses the power and capabilities of a single individual and seek to make use of the intimidating powers of existing or presumed criminal organizations, the indictment also said.

His acts of defamation also allege concrete acts or facts that could tarnish the honor, dignity and prestige of the officials in question, while the continuity of the suspect's conduct indicate the strength of his criminal intent, according to the indictment.

Following the investigation launched by specially authorized Chief Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş on March 19 against Ahmet Şık on the charge of "threatening and depicting prosecutors and judges as targets for a terrorist organization," Prosecutor Necip Doğan then completed the indictment on July 2, demanding between three and seven years in prison for the journalist.

The indictment includes the names of 39 judges and prosecutors overseeing the Ergenekon case as "victims."

"Ergenekon" is an alleged gang that seeks to topple the government by fomenting chaos and unrest in society.

Şık is now set to appear in court once more on Sept. 13 in the Silivri Second Criminal Court of First Instance at 14.05 in relation to articles 106/2-d, 43/1, 53, 125/1, 125/3-a and 125/4 of Law No: 5237 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK.) (EKN)