The court decided to release Erol Ölmez, Kahraman Şahin and Ümit Oğuzhan, prosecuted under the first indictment regarding the "Ergenekon terror organization". Judge Şengün furthermore requested the release of 9 other defendants including Gürses and Kerinçsiz, but this claim was rejected with the majority of votes.

Turkey fell back 20 places in this year's RSF Worldwide Press Freedom Index. The country shares rank 122 together with the Philippines. The front-runners for press freedom are Denmark, Finland and Ireland. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea bring up the rear of the index.

The Silopi Magistrate Criminal Judge released 5 people belonging to the peace group. The prosecutors had demanded to arrest them. All 34 members of the Peace Group are free now.

The Saturday Mothers/People gathered on Istanbul's Galatasaray Square for the 238th time to draw public attention to the disappearance of Hüseyin Toraman who was kidnapped from in front of his house 18 years ago. They also reminded disappearance of six peasants in Silopi 16 years ago.

The last Kurdish uprising can really come to an end by determining Turkey's fate. Twiting the course of the things in that direction will be a result of the policies pursued since 1999 by the Kurdish liberation movement and its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan who have sought peace and reconciliation in the brotherhood and liberty of peoples.

The peace groups entered Turkey yesterday crossing the Iraqi border. They describe themselves as ambassadors for peace and came with letters explaining their demands, "We did not come to benefit from active repentance. We want the initiative to solve the Kurdish question to continue, we want to live together freely and equally".

Chief of Police Intelligence Office Ramazan Akyürek was removed from office. Akyürek was chief of police in Trabzon before the Dink murder and had employed Erhan Tuncel as an under-cover police informant. The Supervisory Committee held Akyürek responsible for neglect of his duty. The Dink family blamed him of a "neglect resulting in death".

26 refugees from the UN Mahmur Camp and 8 PKK members from Kandil will come to Turkey to talk to DTP delegations today (19 October). According to one of the leading PKK members Kalkan, the aim of the groups is to create a dialogue and open the way for negotiations. President Gül appreciates the initiative.

The EU Progress Report criticizes the quality of investigations concerning court cases. High-profile trials like the Dink murder case raise doubts about the role of security forces and their cooperation with the judiciary. Also RSF expresses their concerns about the Dink case.

There are some unsolved discrepancies in our minds related to freedom of communication. Let us not leave those contradictions to the arbitrariness of the government on behalf of security. Oktay Ekşi says, "The EU is finally aware of the Turkish Criminal Code and the Anti-Terror Law. We would also like to remind Mr. Ekşi of this fact.

Journalist Kar reports that 1 day after the new visa regulations were signed, many people from Syria visited the Turkish city of Antakya. Many families formerly divided can easily re-unite due to the new application. Kar recommends visiting Turkey's neighboring country and gives advice for a journey to Syria.

Yeni Asya newspaper cartoonist Halil İbrahim Özdabak faces a 2 years and 8 months prison sentence for one of his political caricatures. The illustration shows court president Osman Kaçmaz on his judge's podium, which is positioned on top of a military tank.

The Justice for Children Group demands a well-grounded and quick legal solution for the children that became victims of the Anti-Terrorism Law to avoid further prevalence of the problem. The group met MPs of Turkey's major parties in the National Assembly.

Human Rights Foundation Branch chairman Ethem Açıkalın and representatives of 2 furhter human rights organizations are handed a 1 year prison sentence each. They participated in a press release criticizing the killing of Kevser Mızrak in a police operation. Açıkalın filed an appeal against the decision.

The secret witness announced for the 11th hearing did not appear at the hearing. The Dink family handed a petition to the court, criticizing the prosecutor's handling of the trial. The murder weapon was brought to the court and suspected triggerman Samast claimed he did not remember the gun. The trial is followed by international observers.

After the decision from ECHR, Diyarbakır MP Kışanak asked Minster for the Interior Atalay why there is still no action to sort out the situation of refugees and refugee accommodations.

Diyarbakır prosecutor Mutlu announced the results of an expert report. According to this report, 12-year-old Önkol died because she played with a knife on a projectile of an unexploded bomb. The expert report could not identify the kind and the source of the ammunition.

The Dink family joint attorneys requested a criminal complaint against the authorities that did not forward defendant Öztürk's phone tapping records. Additionally, they claimed the acquisition of the file of the Zirve Publishing House massacre and information and documents concerning Ergenekon case defendant Özoğlu.

Students protested Deputy Prime Minister Çiçek who was going to speak on human rights at the Ankara University Faculty of Political Science. The students voiced their protest, "The minister of such a country has nothing to say about this topic". When the students received support from the people in the hall, Çiçek left the university without giving his speech.

The murder case of transsexual Melek K. who was killed in her home in Ankara was continued. The prosecutor claimed to try defendant T.P. under six different charges such as murder, plunder, theft and further allegations.