Court rejects to release suspects in OdaTV trial

ISTANBUL

Journalists stage a protest ahead of the OdaTV hearing in Istanbul. DHA photo

An Istanbul court on Nov. 16 overturned arrested suspects’ requests to be released and scheduled the next hearing for Dec 27.

During the hearing, suspects slammed the second scientific report, claiming that the report was proof of their innocence despite its “confused” language.

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) recently prepared an additional 34-page report upon a court order from the previous hearing, due to the lack of clarity in the original experts’ report.

Soner Yalçın said the law stated that a computer infected with harmful software could not be considered legitimate evidence because that software was capable of changing all source-data in a computer, rendering it completely unreliable. “This is proof that this case has already closed, but you are still holding us in prison. I hope this court decides today in favor of justice and of promoting public trust in Turkish courts.”

The case regarding OdaTV, an online news portal known for its harsh criticism of government policies, began after the police conducted a search of the website’s offices in February 2011 as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. The court trying the OdaTV case requested to merge it with the Ergenekon case, however the Ergenekon judges have yet to make a decision on this request.