Court rejects OdaTV suspects’ release

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo

An Istanbul court has refused to release suspects arrested in the OdaTV case, daily Hürriyet reported.
 
The demand for the suspects’ release stemmed from recent judicial reforms that altered the laws on detainees and arrests. An Istanbul court, however, refused to release Soner Yalçın, Yalçın Küçük, Barış Terkoğlu, Barış Pehlivan and Hanefi Avcı.
 
The court said the evidence regarding the Ergenekon case showed that there was a “strong suspicion of guilt” surrounding the arrestees.
 
The case regarding OdaTV, an online news portal known for its fierce criticism of government policies, began after police conducted a search of the website’s offices in February 2011 as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. The Ergenekon case is investigating an alleged coup plot that allegedly aimed to topple the government by fomenting chaos in society.