ISTANBUL - A lawsuit was filed against 7 journalists who followed the protests in Istanbul. The indictment stated that "no determination was made that they were carrying out journalistic activities at the scene".
Journalists Zeynep Kuray, Hayri Tunç, AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgül, photojournalist Bülent Kılıçbil, NOW TV reporter Ali Onur Tosun, photojournalists Gökhan Kam and Kurtuluş Arı were arrested after being detained in house raids on 25 March. The journalists were released on 27 March following an appeal. The investigation against the journalists turned into a lawsuit. The indictment was accepted by the 62nd Criminal Court of first Instance at Istanbul Courthouse.
The journalists will be tried for "opposing the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations".
The indictment reads: "In their statements, they declared that they were present at the scene of the incident within the scope of journalism and photojournalism activities, bu tin the examination of the file, no determination was made by the law enforcement officers that they performed journalistic activities at the scene of the incident to confirm the statements of the suspects."
It is not clear when the first hearing of the case will be held.