Court removes ban on Turkish newspaper

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Özgür Gündem

An Istanbul court overturned today an earlier decision to close daily Özgür Gündem for a month following objections by the daily’s lawyers.

The closure decision was ordered last week by an Istanbul court on the grounds that Özgür Gündem “promoted a terrorist organization." Lawyers of the daily objected to the decision on March 26.

The daily, which closely monitors and reports developments related to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has 11 journalists behind bars due to their alleged links to the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the alleged urban wing of the PKK.

Özgür Gündem returned to newsstands in 2011, 17 years after it was forced to close following the murders of 76 employees and countless trials due to its coverage of the Kurdish issue.

The daily was originally founded in 1992 when the clashes between the PKK and the Turkish military were at its bloodiest in East and Southeast Anatolia. Hundreds of people became victims of unsolved murders, and staff at Özgür Gündem became targets themselves for their outspoken coverage of the issue.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.