A Turkish court has rejected journalist Elif Akgül’s appeal against her pretrial detention on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" as part of an investigation into the People's Democratic Congress (HDK). Akgül was arrested on Feb. 21 following her detention during a police operation on Feb. 18.
The Istanbul 25th Criminal Court of First Instance dismissed the appeal filed by Akgül’s lawyers from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA). In its ruling, the court cited "evidence suggesting the alleged offense, the length of detention, the proportionality of continued detention, the risk of flight, and the inadequacy of judicial control measures" as reasons for keeping Akgül in custody.
Following the decision, MLSA’s legal team announced plans to file an individual application with Turkey’s Constitutional Court.
Background: HDK operation and arrests
Elif Akgül was among 53 people detained on Feb. 18 in a police operation targeting the HDK, a left-wing political movement in Turkey. Among those arrested were Sema Barbaros, Istanbul chair of the Labor Party (EMEP); Mehmet Saltoğlu, a Central Executive Committee member of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party; Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP) members Halit Elçi and Ahmet Saymadi; and several journalists, including Akgül, Yıldız Tar, and Ercüment Akdeniz. Screenwriter Ayşe Bengi and musician Pınar Aydınlar were also among the detainees.
Of the 53 detained, 35 were formally arrested, while 13 were placed under house arrest. Two others were released under judicial supervision, requiring them to check in with police and abide by a travel ban.
Akgül’s lawyers argue that she is being targeted for her journalistic work and that there is no concrete evidence to justify her detention.
