Hayri Demir
Three journalists from Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat -- who is defended by MLSA-- who were detained on April 26 in connection with an Istanbul-based investigation, have been released with a travel ban and a restriction on leaving their residential area.
The Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court accepted the indictment against the journalists, and with a unanimous decision, the court ruled for their release under judicial control measures, including a ban on leaving the country and specific residential area restrictions.
The court's decision noted that the evidence in the investigation had been collected and there was no possibility of the journalists tampering with or influencing the evidence. Additionally, the court suggested that the nature of the charge, "membership in an organization," might change and that the goals expected from detention could be achieved through judicial control.
The first hearing of the case is scheduled for October 15, 2024.
Background of the investigation
The investigation, which is centered in Istanbul, led to house raids on April 23, during which MA reporters Mehmet Aslan and Esra Solin Dal, Yeni Yaşam newspaper employee Enes Sezgin, and other journalists Saliha Aras, Yeşim Alıcı, Beste Argat Balcı, Şirin Ermiş, Erdoğan Alayumat, and former MA reporter Doğan Kaynak were detained.
After three days in custody, journalists Aslan, Dal, and Alayumat were brought before the prosecutor for questioning and subsequently taken to court with a request for their arrest. They were detained on charges of "being members of an organization." The other six journalists were released under judicial control.
Despite the detention of nine journalists during the investigation, indictments were prepared only for the three who were ultimately arrested.
