August 20, 2011 - 14:22 AMT
Turkish media offices searched, 10 people detained

Ten people from Turkey’s Worker’s Party were detained by the police on Friday, August 19, in the Ergenekon coup-plotting case, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Police officers searched the general headquarters of the Worker’s Party, or İP, Ulusal Kanal TV Station and daily Aydınlık in Istanbul and detained 10 people.

İP Deputy Chairman and lawyer Mehmet Cengiz spoke to press members and said the search lasted five hours and the police copied a hard drive as well.

Among the detainees were Ulusal Kanal’s Executive Editor Turan Özlü, İP Deputy Chairman Erkan Önsel and the son of İP leader Doğu Perinçek, Mehmet Perinçek. Doğu Perinçek was accused of being the brains of the Ergenekon gang. A veteran politician and a nationalist, Perinçek was arrested in March 2008 and has been in jail since.

Meanwhile, the release requests of five Ergenekon suspects, including journalist Ahmet Şık, were denied by the court on Thursday.

Along with Şık, four journalists, Doğan Yurdakul, Sait Çakır, Coşkun Musluk and Barış Terkoğlu, will remain in jail pending trial.