Merdan Yanardag a journalist and TV channel owner arrested for statements about Ocalan

Merdan Yanardağ, a journalist who was detained and referred to court for his statements about the PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan, has been arrested. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation yesterday due to the statements of journalist Merdan Yanardag about the separatist terrorist organization ringleader Abdullah Ocalan in a television program.

As part of the investigation, Yanardağ was detained on charges of “praising the crime and the criminal” and “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”. Merdan Yanardag, whose security procedures were completed, was taken to the Istanbul Palace of Justice in Caglayan.  The prosecutor referred Yanardağ to the court with a request for arrest at noon.

SUPPORT FROM MPS

Green Left Party Istanbul Deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder and CHP Istanbul Deputy Enis Berberoğlu and Avcılar Mayor Turan Dagçerli went to the courthouse to extend their support to arrested journalist.

The on-duty Criminal Magistrate’s Office decided to arrest Yanardag for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”.

Merdan Yanardağ was also arrested during the Ergenekon-Sledgehammer conspiracy process and spent some time in prison.

STATEMENT FROM YANARDAG’S LAWYERS

After the arrest warrant was issued for Merdan Yanardağ, his lawyers made a press statement in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse.

One lawyer shared following about the issue: “We realized that the investigation was only solved by a 4-5-minute tweezed version of a long program that was circulating on social media, and that’s when the investigation was launched. The detention request was also given over that text.

“These words belong to us, but they were taken out of context, pasted on. He was released this morning, his statement was taken at noon. We submitted the entire program to the prosecutor’s office and said, ‘We want the entire program to be examined’. The documents have been entered into the file. The recordings were listened to during the interrogation before the prosecution and then the judge, but the result did not change.”

“As a matter of urgency, we are faced with an arrest warrant within 24 hours. We will exercise our right of objection. From a legal point of view, I think it is an empty, baseless file. But as you know, the judiciary in Turkey has been acting with political motives for a long time. This is the result.”