Arrested Cumhuriyet daily accountant Emre İper who was among the holders of 11,480 GSM numbers that Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office reported to have installed ByLock, unknowingly on their cell phones, has been released after 267 days behind bars.

The latest hearing of Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı standing trial over attending the Editorship in Chief on Watch Campaign for the now-closed Özgür Gündem daily, was held yesterday.

Here we publish defendant Ahmet Şık's full statement of defence that the court refused to hear in yesterday's hearing of Cumhuriyet daily trial.

Three academics from İstanbul University charged for having signed the peace declaration, had the first hearing of their trials today. Their next hearing will be on May 8, 2018.

The fifth hearing in Cumhuriyet Trial in which 20 defendants five of whom are in detention pending trial, was held today before İstanbul 27th Assize Court in Çağlayan, İstanbul. The court has decided that the defendants remain in pre-trial detention. Next hearing will be held on March 9, 2018.

According to the annual report by the Reporters Without Borders, 65 journalists were killed; 326 were arrested; 54 were taken hostage and two journalists went missing in 2017. Turkey is one of the countries with the highest number of jailed journalists.

Six people including journalist translator Meşale Tolu have been released in the hearing in which 18 people have been tried. The next hearing is on April 26.

Minister Arslan has first claimed that sendika.org was closed due to “sexual harassment against children, prostitution and gambling”, and then apologized.

Journalist Adam Klasfeld, who has made a large audience in Turkey with his instant tweets in Zarrab trial, shared his observations about the trial with bianet.

In its annual prison census, CPJ found 262 journalists behind bars around the world; a new record after a historical high of 259 last year. The worst three jailers Turkey, China, and Egypt, are responsible for jailing 51% of the total.

Freemuse, an NGO advocating for and defending artistic freedom of expression has urged to release singer and artist Ferhat Tunç, who faces 10 years in prison. Tunç will stand trial on December 14, 2017.

The 400-day mail ban for the defendants of Cumhuriyet daily, who are behind bars, has ended. A campaign has been launched on social media with the hashtag #ÖzgürlüğeMektup (letter to freedom) urging the readers to write to the journalists in prison.

Socialist Woman’s Assembly Spokesperson Nurcan Vayiç and HDP Hopa District Chair Cemil Aksu who were arrested in October 2017, were released on Friday.

In the second hearing of the trial in which six journalists and media workers were standing trial due to their posts on social media, the two arrested defendants of the trial, Öğreten and Kanaat have been released.

Imprisoned journalist Deniz Yücel has been taken out of confinement cell. Minister of Justice of Germany Maas has said, “Finally some things are changing”.

Journalist and documentarist Mehmel Ülger passed away yesterday morning in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Journalists Alayumat and Akman standing trial on charges of “spying” and “being a member of an illegal organization” face 45 years in prison each.

Journalists Selam Keleş and Arif Aslan who have been behind bars on claims of “being a member of an illegal organization” have been released in the first hearing of their trial.

Journalist Oğuz Güven has been sentenced to 3 years and 32 days in prison in the trial in which he has been tried due to a tweet concerning a news report on death of Chief Prosecutor Mustafa Alper, who lost his life in a traffic accident.

bianet has applied to the Mardin Governorship to ensure that the meeting takes in a secure environment. Criminal complaint will be lodged against the media outlets responsible for the act of hate speech.