Journalists rallied at Istanbul's central Galatasaray Square to voice support for their colleagues before the eight hearing of the trial against Kurdish journalists which will be held at Silivri Prison Complex in Istanbul on 2 December.

The rally was joined by a number of journalists and politicians including HDP (Peoples' Democratic Congress) co-chair Sebahat Tuncel, CHP (Republican People's Party) deputy Melda Onur and Özgür Gündem columnist Ragıp Zarakolu.

Speaking here, Ragıp Zarakolu commented the arrest of journalists as the greatest scandal witnessed in Turkey's history,  and remarked that Turkish courts continued to hold journalists in prison by disregarding the ongoing democratic resolution process in search of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. Zarakolu pointed out that the anti-terror law of Turkey has taken civil politics hostage and is being used as a means of suppressing the people.

Zarakolu said the release of journalists should be the first step of the normalization process in Turkey and called for solidarity with journalists during tomorrow's hearing.

Speaking after, CHP deputy Melda Onur underlined that the arrest of journalists was aimed to prevent them from writing the truths, and called for the urgent release of all press workers on trial.

HDP co-chair Sebahat Tuncel remarked that the repression of free press and its workers is going on for years now, but has failed to intimidate journalists and to prevent them from doing their work, even in jail. “They were taken hostage because they voiced the truth on oppressed circles, Kurdish people and workers who are subjected to policies of denial and assimilation. “They were arrested for writing about the Roboski massacre and the truths”, Tuncel said and called on the Turkish state to urgently release journalists and to apologize them for the unlawful arrests.

Tuncel called for participation in tomorrow's hearing in solidarity with workers of the free press.

46 workers of the Kurdish press, including Dicle News Agency (DİHA), Fırat News Agency (ANF), Özgür Gündem, Azadiya Welat, Demokratik Modernite and Fırat Distribution, were arrested in the scope of a so-called KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) operation on 20 December 2011. Twenty among them are under arrest ever since.