The 3rd hearing of the case against workers of the Kurdish press has begun at Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court in Silivri on Monday.

44 Kurdish journalists (32 have been in detention), who were detained on December 2011 in the scope of the so called KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) operation, are being accused of the news they wrote.

The hearing is also attended by a number of journalists and politicians including Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Mersin deputy Ertuğrul Kürkçü, CHP (Republican People's Party) deputies Veli Ağbaba, İlhan Cihaner and Melda Onur.

The hearing continues with the reading of the indictment.

Workers of free press gathered in front of Southeastern Community of Journalists in Diyarbakır on Monday in solidarity with the journalists on trial. Demonstrators demanded the urgent release of journalists in prison.