Protesters demonstrate against arrest of Turkish opposition journalists

“All opposition press organizations that are abiding by the ethics of journalism and trying to do their journalism are under threat and under attack”, Figen Yuksekdag with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party was quoted.

BBC noted that the charges have been “heavily criticized by press freedom groups”, and that Turkey ranks 149th among the 180 countries in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index 2015.

Over 1,000 protesters on Friday staged a demonstration outside the Istanbul premises of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper against the arrest of the paper’s two journalists, accused of spying over a news report.

Video footage printed alongside their report purported to reveal police officers that were Turkish finding crates carrying weapons and ammo and intercepting the trucks.

Meanwhile, the European and International Federations of Journalists, the EFJ and the IFJ, on Friday urged Turkey to immediately release the two journalists, who are now being held in Istanbul.

Crowds filled the yard and a street outside of Cumhuriyet’s headquarters, chanting: “Free press can not be silenced”.

It linked the seized trucks to the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT). Whoever wrote this story will pay a heavy price for this.

“The government does not want any journalist to see what kind of a calamity they have involved Turkey in”, opposition lawmaker Baris Yarkadas told AP.

A week ago, Dundar’s newspaper was awarded the Press Freedom Prize by Reporters Without Borders at a ceremony in Strasbourg.

In February, Mr Dundar, 54, was called to testify on separate charges of insulting Mr Erdogan, one of scores of such cases opened since Mr Erdogan moved from the prime ministry to the presidency previous year. “We are not traitors, spies, or heroes; we are journalists”.

Erdogan claimed the trucks were set to deliver humanitarian aid to Bayirbucak Turkmens and that the journalists were complicit in “sabotaging” this aid merely to harm the image of himself and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. “But unfortunately in today’s Turkey its not surprising Its just another telling indictment on the bad situation of freedom of expression and the pressure of the media”, said Gardner.

“We came here to defend journalism”.

As to whether the trucks were carrying arms: “So what if they were, so what if they weren’t?” he said.

“We hope the Turkish courts and authorities will uphold the fundamental principle of media freedom enshrined in the Turkish Constitution”, the Embassy said on Twitter.