The Istanbul 9th High Criminal Court handed down a 1.5-year prison sentence to journalist Aziz Özer. He was convicted of "making propaganda for an illegal organization" based on an article and a caricature.

Journalist Pelek gave her statement in the trial filed against her and journalist Dolu on the grounds of having published General Fırtına's statement at the prosecution related to the Ergenekon investigation. The case was postponed to August.

The full manuscript of the unpublished book of arrested journalist Ahmet Şık was leaked to the internet despite a court decision that banned the publication of the book. According to journalist Engin, the posted version is identical with the draft previously sent to him by author Şık.

Concern about press freedom in Turkey was now also expressed in a joint statement by the European Turkish Journalists Association, the German Journalists Union and the European Federation of Journalists. "Press freedom in Turkey is under threat", the organizations said.

The cases related to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink tried in Trabzon at the 1st High Criminal Court and the 2nd Magistrate Criminal Court were continued. The criminal court will wait for the prosecutor's opinion on a merger of the cases; the magistrate court will wait for the high court's decision accordingly.

Politician Kaplan was convicted of an "attack of the personal rights" of Prime Minister Erdoğan and has to pay TL 6,000 in compensation. Kaplan announced to appeal and go as far as the ECHR if necessary: "My words remained within the limits of freedom of thought", he claimed.

Prof. Orhan Çeker shocked several sections of the Turkish public last February by saying that women were complicit with rapists by provoking them with low-cut dresses. It was now decided not to launch an investigation about the university professor.

The Istanbul 12th High Criminal Court rejected the lawyers' appeal against the seizure of material related to an unpublished book of arrested journalist Ahmet Şık. According to the court, the decision was legal. The Turkish Union of Bar Associations criticized the seizure.

Read here a list of journalists, writers, politicians and media institutions that were tried in 2010 on charges related to freedom of thought and expression. This list was compiled according to the annual report of 2010 prepared by the BİA Media Monitoring Desk.

The case against 16 members of the Beyoğlu Troupe of Actors, comprised by university students, is still pending. A decision is expected at the coming hearing in May. The defendants are facing imprisonment of up to two years each.

The Court of Appeals insisted on a compensation fine for writer Pamuk after a local court had dropped procedures twice. Pamuk has to pay a fine of TL 6,000 in total because of a statement made to a Swiss newspaper in 2005.

The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court accepted the plaintiff lawyers' request to re-investigate the TÜBİTAK report on the allegedly missing footage of the Hrant Dink murder. Witnesses Çakmak and Yıldırım will be brought to court on compulsion at the next hearing on 30 May.

According to data compiled by the BİA Media Monitoring Report, 220 people, 104 of whom were journalists, stood trial in 2010 in the scope of freedom of thought and expression. 33 people were sentenced to 365 years in prison under the Anti-Terror Law. 30 journalists are in jail.

The Facebook Turkey team apologized to journalist Çakır for closing down his account and the "Homology" group he administers "by mistake". Access to another group that called on Minister Kavaf to resign is still blocked.

After more than a hundred cases were opened against Kurdish folk singer Tunç, he is now facing charges of "propaganda for an illegal organization" for using the term "guerrilla". Tunç sees this kind of trials as a means of intimidation. The case will start in May.

Trials against Kurdish politicians Aysel Tuğluk and Ahmet Türk, Co-Chairs of the Democratic Society Congress, are still pending in Ankara and Diyarbakır. Tuğluk is facing 70 years behind bars in the Diyarbakır trial and another five years from the Ankara procedures.

The police searched the offices of Radikal newspaper for copies of the manuscript of detained journalist Şık's book "The Imam's Army". Also Şık's wife and his lawyer were ordered to hand over drafts of the book. Publishers and writers associations condemned the raid; lawyer Cinmen called it "unlawful".

Human rights advocator Hakan Tahmaz received a one-year prison sentence, journalist İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu a monetary fine for the interview with Murat Karayılan, leader of the Union of Kurdistan Communities.

The Foreign Affairs Department of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party issued a press release on their sit-down strike in Diyarbakır, a Kurdish-majority city in south-eastern Turkey.

The trial against police offer Ergin who was handed down prison terms of more than 16.5 years for killing 18-year-old Gemik is being retried after the Court of Appeals quashed the verdict. Gemik was killed with a single bullet shot through his neck.