Turkish journalists appear in courtNovember 22, 2011 - 11:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The first hearing for 14 suspects in the Oda TV case, including arrested journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener, was set to take place on November 21 at Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Prosecutors alleged in the case’s 134-page indictment that Şık’s manuscript, “İmamın Ordusu” (The Imam’s Army), was an illegal organization document and “a book draft prepared with other suspects as instructions and guidelines for the Ergenekon Armed Terrorist Organization.” Şık faces up to 15 years imprisonment for assisting a terrorist organization. The manuscript and other digital copies of the book were seized in March by law enforcement officials as an “illegal organization document” and used as evidence. Former intelligence operative Kaşif Kozinoğlu, who died under arrest on Nov. 12 due to a heart attack, was also set to appear in court. The case regarding Oda TV, an online news portal known for its fierce criticism of government policies, began after the police conducted a search of the website’s offices in February as part of the ongoing Ergenekon probe. Despite efforts to erase copies of “The Imam’s Army,” the book recently went to print and was released in the market at Istanbul’s Tüyap Book Fair on Nov. 16 under the title “000Kitap” (000Book). The work was co-authored and edited by 125 journalists who volunteered their labor in an attempt to publish Şık’s banned book. Meanwhile, NTV news channel reported that European Court of Human Rights has accepted Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık’s application. Ergenekon is an alleged ultranationalist gang that is accused of plotting to overthrow the government by fomenting chaos in society. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. |