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Protesters Adamant In Waiting In Solidarity With Journalists

18.12.2014 18:00

After a prosecutor on Thursday demanded the arrest of Ekrem Dumanlı, the editor-in-chief of Turkey's largest selling newspaper Zaman, and the head of a major TV station, Hidayet Karaca, large numbers of people flocked to the main courthouse in İstanbul's Çağlayan neighborhood in solidarity with the journalists,

After a prosecutor on Thursday demanded the arrest of Ekrem Dumanlı, the editor-in-chief of Turkey's largest selling newspaper Zaman, and the head of a major TV station, Hidayet Karaca, large numbers of people flocked to the main courthouse in İstanbul's Çağlayan neighborhood in solidarity with the journalists, demanding their release.

Even though protests had already been ongoing at different locations such as the police headquarters where Dumanlı and Karaca were first taken and the Zaman office, as well as the courthouse, reactions multiplied with the arrest request in the early hours of Thursday morning at the end of the four-day detention period.

Commenting to Today's Zaman, one of the protesters, Arife Başer (25), who was among a group of women waiting in silence on Thursday morning, said, “The newspaper used to be delivered to us each morning; now we go to the newspaper,” in an effort to express her loyalty to the Zaman daily. “We love Ekrem Dumanlı,” she continued, as she said a vendetta is not an appropriate thing for a president to pursue, referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Another protester who wanted to speak out, Ahmet Bektaş, who is a family counselor, explained in detail what he witnessed in Syria when he went there for a trip in 2009. “I was surprised at the intelligence network in the country, [President Bashar] Assad's poster all over the place, his photos on the front pages of all the newspapers and the lack of an opposition party,” he said, saying that Turkey is now like Syria, which is a huge disappointment for him.

A 38-year-old housewife, Ülger Özdal, shared her thoughts after taking a break from reading a prayer from a book. She said she came to the Çağlayan Courthouse to show her support in the struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed.

A considerable number of protesters made an unusual sight, with their prayer books in their hands, waiting in silence in a different form of protest.

An agricultural engineer, Ali Özdemir, said he has been a subscriber of Zaman for the last 22 years and likes the editorial policy of the newspaper. “I can't stand the treatment of Ekrem Dumanlı and came here to protest,” he said. When asked how long he would continue to wait, Özdemir said if he knew that Dumanlı's release is dependent on his wait, he would do it every morning.

As the court continued to hear the testimony of the detained suspects, who are accused of plotting against the sovereignty of the state through their publications, people continued to wait amid live broadcasts by TV stations outside the courthouse.(Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, ISTANBUL, 18 DEC 2014

The huge crowd in front of the courthouse
Peopel wawing Turkish flags
VAR of baloons being sent to the sky WİTH SHOEBOXES

DURATION: 06:01



 
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