LAW AT WORK RELEASES JOURNALISTS ON TRIAL

The 11th hearing for the Odatv case was held at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. Istanbul's 16th High Criminal Court ruled for the release of journalists' Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener as well as Coşkun Musluk and Muhammet Sait Çakır who were all being held at the top-security Silivri prison.

The court ruled on the suspects' release pending trial after an hour of deliberations held yesterday. Despite the fact that Prosecutor Ufuk Ermertcan had solely requested Çakır's release, the court decided to include Şık, Şener and Musluk to the list. The court based its decision on the length of time the defendants had already spent in prison and the low risk of them being able to tamper with evidence in the case. The ruling for the suspects' release was made following the recess at which point Şık and Şener were being transported back to the Silivri Prison in a police vehicle when they heard the news they were free.

'MY FIRST NEWS STORY WILL BE ON HRANT'

Once the announcement was made of the suspects' release, a number of close relatives, friends and colleagues, including Nedim Şener's wife Vecide Şener and Ahmet Şık's wife Yonca Şık gathered in front of the Silivri Prison to greet the suspects. Once their release had been processed, Şener and Şık were met with applause and chants as they hugged their wives and loved ones.

In Nedim Şener's first announcement following his release he stated that he was being made to pay the price of his research into the murder of Hrant Dink, and said, "The dark forces that assassinated Hrant Dink are today threatening our freedom. However they will not be successful. I miss taking my daughter to school the most. My first article will be on Hrant." Ahmet Şık's first words were, "Justice that is lacking will not bring on democracy. There are approximately 100 journalists inside. The police, prosecutors and judges that have set up this conspiracy will go to prison."
EU: A PLEASING STEP
The European Union also welcomed the court decision on Monday. Peter Stano, spokesperson of EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Füle, said the release of the journalists was "a pleasing step" and called for "freedom of expression, and for a solution to be found for solving the structural issues that continue to endanger the right to freedom and security and a fair trial."