Chief Public Prosecutor's Office demanded 'arrest the journalists', court rejected it calling the decision 'proportionate'

A new development has occurred in the 'expert witness investigation' that began with the detention of 5 individuals from Halk TV and the arrest of Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş. The appeal filed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the release of Barış Pehlivan and Kürşad Oğuz under judicial control measures has been rejected. 

According to the report by Furkan Karabay from Duvar, the Istanbul 5th Criminal Court of Peace rejected the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's request for arrest, noting that there was no new information to change the judicial control decision.

Evaluating the decision, the Istanbul 71st Criminal Court of First Instance emphasized that the decision for judicial control was 'measured' and 'proportionate' in terms of the scope of the file. Furthermore, the court rejected the appeal of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which had requested the arrest of journalists Pehlivan and Oğuz.

REMOVAL OF JUDICIAL CONTROL MEASURES WILL BE REQUESTED

Speaking to Gazete Duvar, Barış Pehlivan's lawyer Hüseyin Ersöz stated that they would appeal the judicial control decisions regarding the journalists.

Stating that the judicial control decisions constitute a disproportionate intervention, Ersöz expressed that pressure amounting to censorship is being exerted on the journalists.

WHAT HAPPENED? 

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu had exposed expert witness S.B. regarding the investigations and lawsuits filed against him during a press conference he held in Saraçhane titled "The Big Radish", and subsequently, Halk TV programmer and journalist Barış Pehlivan had reached out to the expert witness in question. After the interview was broadcast on Halk TV both in audio and written form, a 'expert witness investigation' was launched into Halk TV, and within the scope of the investigation, Seda Selek, Barış Pehlivan, Serhan Asker, Suat Toktaş, and Kürşad Oğuz were detained. 

It was decided that Seda Selek, Serhan Asker, Kürşad Oğuz, and Barış Pehlivan would be released under judicial control measures. As for Halk TV Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş, an arrest warrant was issued by the 5th Criminal Court of Peace on the grounds that there was "suspicion of flight, concealment, and destruction of evidence", and Toktaş was sent to Marmara Prison in Silivri. 

News Source: 12punto