3 journalists released pending trial, 3 kept in jail in case over reporting intel officer’s killing in Libya: report

Seven Turkish journalists have gone on trial charged with revealing state secrets in their coverage of the deaths of Turkish intelligence personnel serving in Libya, Al Jazeera reported.

The court released 3 of the defendants — Barış Terkoğlu, Ferhat Çelik, and Aydın Keser — pending trial, who had been in jail since early March, according to the Turkish media.

Three others, Barış Pehlivan and Hülya Kılınç from the OdaTV news website, and Murat Ağırel from the Sözcü daily, were remanded.

The court also ordered to keep detention warrant for journalist Erk Acarer, who has been living in abroad.

Dozens of people gathered outside the court in Istanbul to show solidarity with the journalists on Wednesday.

An eighth defendant, a municipal worker in the western Turkish town of Akhisar, is accused of supplying pictures to the journalists of the funeral of one of the deceased intelligence officers.

Turkey has provided military support and training in Libya to the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), helping it fend off a 14-month assault on the capital, Tripoli, by eastern Libyan forces led by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The charges against the journalists center on articles and social media posts published shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in February that Turkey had “several martyrs” in Libya.

According to the indictment, Murat Ağırel, a reporter for Yeni Çağ newspaper, was the first to reveal the identities of the intelligence officers, sharing names and photos on Twitter and referencing Erdoğan’s comments.

The indictment accuses the defendants of revealing information related to state security, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years, by revealing the missions as well as the identities of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) members.

They are also accused of revealing documents and information related to intelligence activities, a charge which carries a sentence of up to 10 years. The defendants deny the accusations, saying they were doing their jobs as journalists.

The post 3 journalists released pending trial, 3 kept in jail in case over reporting intel officer’s killing in Libya: report appeared first on Turkish Minute.

from Turkish Minute https://www.turkishminute.com/2020/06/24/3-journalists-released-pending-trial-3-remain-in-jail-in-case-over-reporting-intel-officers-killing-in-libya-report/