The Istanbul 10^th High Criminal Court dismissed the release of journalist and interpreter Suzan Zengin at yesterday's hearing (15 February). Zengin was taken into police custody on 28 August 2009 and arrested subsequently. She is facing imprisonment of up to 15 years.

Zengin, employee of the Worker Peasant newspaper ('İşçi Köylü') is being detained in the Bakırköy (Istanbul) Women and Children Prison. Her next hearing is scheduled for 14 June. By then, she will have been kept in detention for almost two years.

The Tuesday hearing at the Beşiktaş (Istanbul) Courthouse was attended by Zengin and five other defendants. Her lawyer Gül Altay claimed that Zengin's detention constituted a violation of press freedom and requested her client's release pending trial. However, the court declined the request. Zengin stands accused of "membership of an illegal organization".

The indictment, dated 16 March 2010, seeks prison terms on charges of membership of the Turkey Communist Party/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML) - Turkish Workers' Peasants' Liberation Army (TİKKO) for detained defendants Zengin, Engin Bulut, Gökhan Sarıtoprak, Haydar Yeşilbingöl, Hüseyin Polat, Mehmet Pekcan, Muharrem Karagül and Cihan Şahin. Some defendants are facing additional punishments under allegations of looting, harming property and using Molotov cocktails.

"Defendants do not know each other"

LawyerAtalay emphasized that some of the defendants are tried for their alleged membership of an illegal organization and others for wrongful seizure. Her client Zengin apparently does not know the other defendants.

"My client did not fulfil the element of crime regarding the membership of an illegal organization as imputed to her. Just as she does not know the other defendants, there were no telephone conversations either. The example articles on her seized flash memory that allegedly fulfilled an element of crime were writings that had been published before. Zengin has developed increased health problems because of her time in detention. She became a victim", Altay argued.

The court decided to continue the detention of Zengin, Sarıtoprak, Yeşilbingö, Pekcan, Bulut and Polat by reasons of facts that imply a strong suspicion of guilt upon the imputed offences, because of the nature of the offence and the body of evidence.

It was furthermore decided to send a writing to the Public Chief Prosecution for the release of detained defendant Cihan Şahin given that he is not being detained or convicted for any other offence.

Lawyer Yusuf Eycan, legal advisor of defendants Pekcan, Yeşilbingöl and Polat, demanded to have voice recordings related to the defendants' private lives removed from the case file. The court decided to consult the prosecutor for this demand.  (EG/EÖ/VK)