Court dismisses appeal for release of Cumhuriyet journalists

A Turkish court has dismissed an objection to the arrest of Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül that was filed by the journalists' lawyers on Nov. 30, amid appeals launched by local and international press organizations for the release of the two.

Dündar and Gül's lawyers filed an objection to the arrest decision on Nov. 30, stressing it constituted a violation of Turkey's constitution and principles of human rights.

"We are fulfilling our duty and objecting to the ruling that is in violation of Turkey's constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. The rest is up to you. The decision and the responsibility lie with you," read the three-sentence objection. 

On Nov. 29, Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu also commented on the arrests en route to Brussels for the EU-Turkey Summit, saying they were "unnecessary."

"I believe it is right to order a release pending trial, apart from in exceptional cases," he said, while stressing that revealing state secrets "is a crime everywhere in the world."

Dündar and Gül were arrested on charges of collecting and revealing secret documents for espionage and supporting an armed terrorist organization. The accusations were based on reports in Cumhuriyet regarding Syria-bound trucks sent by the National Intelligence Organization (M?T) and halted for inspection by police in January 2014.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), meanwhile, launched an international appeal for the release of arrested Dündar and Gül, as well as many other reporters who remain detained in Turkey.

The signatories of the petition, drafted in cooperation with the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), accused the...