The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has advanced a proposal that would enable authorities to restrict the freedom of press over a wide range of reasons ranging from “national security” to “public morals.”

The 78’ers Initiative Spokesman Celalettin Can and İlhan Canan, the son of Tahir Canan who spent 31 years in prison, both disputed the recent claims raised by deputy Selçuk Özdağ of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that no leftists convicted by the Sept. 12, 1980 coup administration were still left behind bars.

Turkish authorities released journalist Abdülmenaf Düzenci on Monday after he spent 17 months behind bars in connection with terrorism related charges, marking the first such occasion since the ratification of the Third Judicial Reform Package last week. Officials also released 14 students on Tuesday but ruled against the release of Oda TV suspects.

An Ankara court decided to release Bünyamin Adanalı and Ünal Osmanağaoğlu, two the seven perpetrators of the “Bahçelievler massacre” that saw the killing of seven members of the Turkey Workers’ Party (TİP) in 1978.

Writers, academics and artists have joined in a petition campaign to protest a verdict by the Supreme Court of Appeals to nationalize the estates of the Mor Gabriel Monastery, a 1600 year old Syriac Christian sanctuary in the southeastern province of Mardin.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told journalists that he did not believe that eminent academic Prof. Büşra Ersanlı was a terrorist. Authorities had arrested Prof. Ersanlı on terrorism related charges on Nov. 1, 2011.

Some 15,109 rights violations took place in eastern Turkey during the first half of 2012, according to a report by the Human Rights Association (IHD.) A total of 56 security personnel and 122 militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) also lost their lives during the same period.

Journalists Sedat Şenoğlu and Bayram Namaz rejected an offer by Turkish government officials to reach a friendly settlement over their suit in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR.) The two journalists have remained under arrest for over six years in connection with the probe into the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP.)

An Istanbul court ruled to suspend the proceedings against the translators and publishers of “Snuff” by Chuck Palahniuk and “The Soft Machine” by William Burroughs on Thursday, even though the official expert report vindicated the novels.

A specially authorized Istanbul court rejected all the defendants’ demands in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trial during the first hearing of the case on Monday. Eminent publisher Ragıp Zarakolu and academic Büşra Ersanlı are also facing charges as part of the probe.

Independent Diyarbakır Deputy Leyla Zana held a press meeting in Parliament on Sunday following her talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the Kurdish issue. The veteran Kurdish politician’s earlier statement that PM Erdoğan could resolve the Kurdish issue had drawn sharp cricitism from various quarters within the Kurdish movement.

A court in the Aegean province of İzmir sentenced university student E.Ç. to five months in prison on the charge of “intentionally injuring a civil servant” for throwing an egg at European Union (EU) Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış. The court later suspended the sentence.

Authorities released Lami Özgen, the head of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK,) following Monday’s massive crackdown that led to the detention of dozens of union members. Officials arrested 28 of those detainees in the past two days, however.

The Forensics Institute unanimously voted to exempt Kenan Evren and Tahsin Şahinkaya, the architects of Turkey’s Sept. 12, 1980 coup, from having to appear in court during Friday’s trial in Ankara due to reasons of health and age.

A specially authorized Istanbul court finally ruled to release college students Baran Nayır and Ali Deniz Kılıç after they remained behind bars for 30 months. Officials had arrested Nayır and Kılıç on terrorism related charges for their participation at a demonstration.

The government’s inability to shed light on the Roboski Massacre six months after the incident reveals the attitude of the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP) toward the Kurdish issue, according to Aynur Aşan, the provincial co-chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the southern province of Mersin.

Reports indicate that an article stipulating the abolition of Turkey’s notorious specially authorized courts may be included in the Third Judicial Reform Package pending in Parliament, upon a directive issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

A specially authorized court in the eastern province of Malatya sentenced Kurdish-Alevi singer Ferhat Tunç to two years in prison on terrorism related charges due to his invocation of the names of deceased Turkish leftists during a speech on May 1, 2011.

Employees of the Atılım Newspaper and the Etkin news agency (ETHA) staged a protest in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Tuesday by selling newspapers on the street in response to a police raid into their offices the same day.

Law enforcement officials detained 65 members of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) in sweeping raids across Turkey on Monday morning as part of the ongoing probe into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK,) sparking protests in Ankara and other cities. Officials reportedly asked the detainees why they chanted slogans against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP.)