Journalists Şık, Mavioğlu acquitted in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey’s Kadıköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance acquitted journalists Ahmet Şık and Ertuğrul Mavioğlu of charges of "violations of the confidentiality of an investigation" stemming from their two-volume work entitled "Understanding the counter guerrilla and Ergenekon" and "Who is who in Ergenekon".

Hundreds of people joined a protest march towards the court house on the Asian side of Istanbul before the hearing. They lead the demonstration with a banner reading "We touch [certain issues] even if we get burned". They chanted slogans like "For my pen, my book, my honor", "Ahmet will get out and write again" or "Immediate freedom now".

A number of public figures supported Şık and Mavioğlu, among them Press Institute Association President Ferai Tınç, Orhan Dink and Arat Dink as relatives of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Şık stated that the trial lacked a legal basis. "The two volumes as subject to the trial are based on public sources. They were written after a thorough investigation of the indictment and additional evidence regarding the prosecution of the deep state. The books are based on our experience in journalism,” he said.

Mavioğlu also claimed that they did not violate the confidentiality of the investigation and that the prosecution knew this as well at the stage of interrogation before the trial was opened.

"Ahmet Şık and I are not journalists who obtain information from MİT [National Intelligence Agency], the police, the special authority prosecution, the CIA or from the other side of the ocean. We wrote this book by relying on public sources. The Prime Minister or the Chief of General Staff are not among our sources either. I request my acquittal".

Thereupon, defense lawyer Fikret İlkiz rejected charges of "violation of confidentiality" and demanded to drop the charges. Judge Gülden Filiz Tüysüz decreed for a lack of element of crime and decided for the acquittal of both journalists, Bianet reported.