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 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |