Günseli Özaltay

Seventeen executives and journalists from daily Cumhuriyet, including Ahmet Şık, Kadri Gürsel and Musa Kart, went on trial July 24 with terror-related offences in the 27th Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul.

Two of the suspects are on the run, while 11 of them are imprisoned and the other six free but still charged.  

A trial against daily Cumhuriyet columnists and executives will begin on July 24, Press Freedom Day in Turkey, after an Istanbul court accepted an indictment into a total of 19 suspects on April 18, nearly five months after an investigation was launched.

An Istanbul court on April 18 accepted the indictment into daily Cumhuriyet columnists and executives that was completed earlier this month, nearly five months after the investigation was launched, with the prosecutor seeking jail sentences for all 19 suspects, 12 of whom are in prison.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has decided to prioritize the case of the jailed journalists and executives of Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, stating that it will investigate the case "as soon as possible."

Previously, the court had made the same decision about jailed Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan, Atilla Taş and Murat Aksoy.

The indictment into daily Cumhuriyet columnists and executives was completed on April 4, nearly five months after the investigation was launched, with the prosecutor seeking jail sentences for all 19 suspects.
 
The former editor-in-chief of the daily, Can Dündar, was named as the prime suspect in the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. 

Eleven people, including executives and columnists of the critical daily Cumhuriyet newspaper, were detained in a series of raids on their homes early on Oct. 31, after prosecutors initiated a probe against them on "terrorism" charges. 

Turkish police have detained the editor-in-chief of daily Cumhuriyet and at least four other journalists, the newspaper reported early on Oct. 31, while CNN Türk reported that at least 13 warrants have been issued for the newspaper's journalists and executives.