Turkey: Sixteen journalists indicted nine months after being imprisoned

The prosecution in Turkey finally indicted 22 suspects, including 16 Kurdish journalists who have been incarcerated for nine months and 10 days now.

The journalists were taken into custody on 16 June last year over unknown charges. Government media Hurriyet had claimed, without citing sources, that the journalists were members of a "press committee" affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and that they were allegedly spreading propaganda for the PKK.

A total of twenty journalists, including the sixteen in pre-trial detention, are accused by the Chief Public Prosecution in Diyarbakir of "being members of a terrorist group", Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported on Tuesday. Two others, a cook and an interviewee, are also accused over the same charge, MA said.

Since there is still a secrecy order on the case, the details of the indictment have not been disclosed, and a Diyarbakir court is to decide within 15 days whether or not to accept the indictment.

Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) had dedicated the Press Freedom Award to 16 imprisoned Kurdish journalists in July last year, in demonstration of support for all journalists behind bars.