Journalist pleads he is anti-coup

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Barış Pehlivan has been in jail for 11 months and is charged with supporting a possible coup scenario. Hürriyet photo

Suspect Barış Pehlivan said during the seventh hearing of the Oda TV trial he was a journalist who was against military coups.

“I am ashamed of being a suspect in this case in the name of my country, because doing journalism means going to jail in this country. Yet, as a journalist, I am honored because I am aware of why I am here,” Pehlivan said in court yesterday.

Pehlivan rejected the claims he had been involved in acts that supported a possible coup plot. “In the indictment there are claims that I have been involved in acts that encourage a coup. I consider this an insult. I am a journalist against coups.”

The case regarding Oda TV, 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 last year as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation.

Pehlivan said he has been in jail for the past 11 months and asked the court to proceed for the freedom of press.