Colleagues demand release of jailed journalists on 200th day of Cumhuriyet arrests

Journalists staged protests in Istanbul and Ankara to demand the release of daily Cumhuriyet journalists, executives and employees on the 200th day of their arrest on May 18.

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Çağlayan courthouse in Istanbul and made a press statement demanding "freedom for the truth," while holding pictures of the jailed journalists. 

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), DİSK Basın-İş, as well as relatives of the arrested journalists and executives, participated in the demonstration and opened a banner reading "Freedom for journalists." 

DİSK Basın-İş head Faruk Eren was the first to make a statement, saying Cumhuriyet's employees were detained in raids on their houses and noting that they had been deprived of their freedom for 200 days. 

"This is what we call the hypocrisy of justice. We, as journalists, are making a statement here because the number of jailed journalists is increasing day by day," Eren said, adding that nearly 160 journalists are in jail in Turkey. 

TGC General Secretary Sibel Güneş said journalists in Turkey "cannot express themselves." 

"Those who express themselves are in jail. We want the release of our colleagues, who didn't sell out their conscience, mind and pen to anybody, but are on duty only for the right of people to obtain information," Güneş added. 

Another name who spoke during the demonstration was journalist Ertuğrul Mavioğlu, describing the situation as "ridiculous."

"They deprive our friends from receiving letters and reading books. Those who oppress them will one day be held accountable," Mavioğlu said, describing the recent arrest of Cumhuriyet's web chief Oğuz Güven as "the point where words...