Murat Sabuncu, editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, and investigative journalist Ahmet Şık were released on 9 March 2018. The trial against them for terrorist support will continue. Rebecca Harms, member of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament and trial observer, welcomes the release:
“I welcome the Court's decision to release journalists Ahmet Şık and Murat Sabuncu. The decision was overdue after more than one year of unlawful detention. My joy and relief is clouded by the fact that managing director Akin Atalay is still in prison. I urge that Akin Atalay be released from prison as well, and I consider the charges of terrorist support to be constructed and untenable.“
„With all the international trial observers from human rights and journalism organisations, I share the demand that Turkey must return to the rule of law. Despite all the joy of the release, we must not forget that more than 200 journalists, authors and staff of Turkish media continue to be detained. There is still no normalisation or a return to the rule of law, as is also shown by the intensification of the charges against editor-in-chief Can Dündar.“
“The European Union and the Council of Europe must respect decisions such as yesterday's, but must not close their eyes to the deterioration of the rule of law. That would be a betrayal for those who courageously advocate the rule of law in Turkey."
