Çağdaş Erdoğan, a photojournalist who was held in prison for six months, was released in his first hearing at the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court on 13 February in a trial where he stands accused of membership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)/Kurdish Communities Union (KCK).
Erdoğan was detained by police on 2 September 2017 near the Kalamış Park in Istanbul under suspicion that he was taking photos of facilities operated by the National Intelligence Agency (MİT). He was arrested by a court order and sent to Silivri Prison on 13 September 2017. A 37-page indictment into him accepted by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court accused him of PKK/KCK membership and propaganda.
In his testimony, Erdoğan said he had been subjected to mistreatment and that he was kept in police custody for 12 days together with several with ISIS suspects. He also stated that he was strip-searched during his stay at the Kadıköy Rıhtım Police Station, saying this was a form of sexual harassment.
The journalist also said his photography had been featured in some of the world's most important publications including The New York Times, Guardian and the BBC. He said he couldn't attend his own exhibitions during the time he was held in prison for taking the picture of an "invisible" MIT facility.
"I am a journalist and I know where it is forbidden to take pictures. The spot where I was detained was a public space, and I had a legal right to take pictures," he said, adding that the prosecution's claims that he was on a scouting mission were outrageous.
There was also a brief altercation between Erdoğan's lawyer Cahit Kırkazak and the judge during the trial when Kırkazak responded harshly to the judge's frequent interruptions to lawyer statements.
The panel of judges ruled to release the journalist, despite the prosecutor's request to keep him in prison. The trial was adjourned until 1 June.
