Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik are well-respected investigative reporters, who have worked for the country's leading publications and received international acclaim for their work documenting human rights abuses. They were originally charged with "belonging to a terrorist organization and inciting the public to hatred," according to their lawyers, though the incitement charge was later dropped. Both men deny the allegations against them.
They were arrested as part of a long-running investigation into a shadowy network of military and ex-security men who allegedly planned to topple the Islamic-rooted government in the early 2000s. The investigation began in 2007 and was widely hailed at the time as a bold step forward for Turkish democracy, which has long wrestled with the specter of military involvement in politics.
The government's 'you're either with us or against us' attitude has created a palpable sense of repression in the press, particularly since media and business interests are closely linked. The main government-critical news group Dogan was slapped with 4.8 billion lira ($3.05 billion) in tax fines in 2009 after a row with the government over corruption allegations involving members of Erdogan's party. "Young reporters are now intimidated to ask certain questions of the Prime Minister and some ministers," wrote Murat Yetkin, veteran Ankara commentator for the Radikal newspaper.
Sounds a little like the Espionage and Sedition acts to me. We have the privilege of using the first amendment in court, they don't. Do you think that will ever change?
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