Court rejects demand for release of OdaTV suspects

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Police officers escort journalist Soner Yalcin, right, during a medical check in Istanbul, Turkey. AP Photo

Istanbul’s 16th Court for Serious Crimes rejected a demand for the release of OdaTV case defendants Soner Yalçın, Barış Pehlivan, and Barış Terkoğlu on Sept. 6.

The court used a report issued by the Scientific and Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) as the basis for its decision, saying that it didn’t provide sufficient data regarding the suspects’ innocence.

After the court reviewed the defendants’ lawyers demand for their release, it also received TÜBİTAK’s report, which is analyzes the digital documents found on three computers seized in searches conducted at the homes of Barış Pehlivan and Müyesser Yıldız and at the OdaTV office. The court indicated that the report did not verify the defendants and their advocates’ claims that the documents had reached the computers due to viruses, so they are still suspected in the case. The court decided unanimously to reject the demand for their release.

TÜBİTAK’s report on the OdaTV files, which was seven months in the making, arrived at the court on Aug. 27. TÜBİTAK examined the three computers and detected viruses on them, but was not able to detect whether the documents had been transferred via viruses or not.

The OdaTV case centers on an online news portal known for its fierce criticism of the government.