Özgür Gündem journalists in custody call for solidarity

22 of the journalists detained in the Özgür Gündem raid will be referred to the Istanbul Courthouse for their statements in the prosecutor’s office. The workershave called on everybody to the Courthouse to support their newspaper.

The procedures for 22 out of the 25 journalists who work at Özgür Gündem or were journalists working elsewhere who happened to be in the building during the raid on August 16 have been completed in the police stations they were taken to.

The journalists who were battered and detained were taken to Kasımpaşa, Karaköy and Taksim police stations where they were asked to give statements for “resisting arrest”.

22 of the journalists are expected to be referred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan for their statements in the prosecutor’s office.

Özgür Gündem journalists waiting to be referred to the court called on all journalists, readers and the democratic public to come to the Courthouse to support freedom of press and freedom of expression via their lawyers.

Editor in chief Bilir Kaya, publisher İnan Kızılkaya and columnist Aslı Erdoğan are still in questioning in Istanbul Provincial Security Directorate Anti-terror Unit.