Journalists from one of Turkey's last remaining opposition newspapers are back in court, accused of supporting terrorism. The trial comes one day after 25 media workers were jailed for links to the failed 2016 coup.
Before the hearing opened, anti-riot police with shields prevented supporters giving statements to media.
The prosecution said the groups were all linked to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based preacher the government claims was behind a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016.
Most of the defendants are now free pending the conclusion of the trial, but three senior staff members — chairman Akin Atalay, editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu and investigative reporter Ahmet Şik — remain in detention at the Silivri compound. Atalay and Sabuncu have now spent the last 495 days behind bars and Şik, who was detained after the initial wave of arrests, 434 days.
Şik is a sharp critic of the Turkish government and has written books about the inner workings of the Gulen movement years before the failed coup attempt. During the last hearing in December, Şik was removed from the court after accusing the government of treating its critics like "terrorists" during his defense.
Yonca Şik, Ahmet's wife, told DW before the trial that she has been visiting her husband in the courtroom or in jail for the past year — and she is prepared for it to remain that way.
"Ahmet didn't do anything wrong — he is in the right. Therefore I don't lose hope. I believe in Ahmet and I believe in self," she told DW. "But expectations? No, I don't expect anything from this judiciary and this country anymore.
"When you know the reasons for the imprisonment of Ahmet and his colleagues and then see how they defend their journalism colleagues in court despite everything — that makes many people proud."
The Cumhuriyet staff members face up to 43 years in prison if convicted.
The latest hearing comes a day after an Istanbul court sentenced 25 people, almost all of whom worked for media with close ties to Gulen, to prison terms of up to seven and a half years.
Turkey has jailed more than 50,000 people since the 2016 failed coup attempt, including dozens of journalists.
Julia Hahn contributed to this report
Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals
The exhibition "Türkiyeli" at Berlin gallery "f hoch drei" shows the work of seven contemporary Turkish photographers. Their critical reflection on hot topics such as refugees and protests express the turmoil in Turkey.
Image: Ceren Saner
Between art and documentation
The range of themes covered in the exhibition is huge: refugees, the war in Syria, police violence in the Kurdish areas of Turkey, the construction boom and gender issues. Kürşad Bayhan's photos of bottles that have been decorated by Kurdish women symbolize the war-like conditions in southeastern Turkey.
Image: Kürşat Bayhan
The Human Chain of Suruç
Magnum photographer Emin Özmen focuses on the conditions in the Kurdish regions of Turkey. "Turkey's Hidden Wars" is the title of his black-and-white series. His works show water cannons and tear gas being used by the police and he captures curfew hours. His photo from January 2015 (above) shows Kurds forming a human chain in Suruç to support Kurdish fighters battling the "Islamic State" (IS).
Image: Magnum/Emin Özmen
Celebration despite war
Thousands of people came to the Newroz new year's festival in Suruç in March 2015, which took place despite the war. Above, men take a break during their journey. Suruç became a symbol of resistance to the IS. Emin Özmen considers his work to be like a documentary: "In order to find solutions to the massive problems in our region, we need to have a detailed picture of what is happening."
Image: Magnum/Emin Özmen
Refugees from Kobane
In his series "Moving Portraits," Barbaros Kayan focuses on the fears of refugees from Kobane who were being housed in camps in Turkey. He wanted to find out what happens when these people return to their home countries. Kayan traveled to Syria and documented the destruction and devastation there.
Image: Barbaros Kayan
New conceptual imagery
Barbaros Kayan also photographed Syrians living in the Turkish refugee camps as part of the series. He placed their silhouettes on photos of their hometowns, creating compositions that confront the viewer with new visual themes.
Image: Barbaros Kayan
Gentrification in Istanbul
Göksu Baysal mainly focuses on the construction boom and gentrification, especially in Istanbul, in his series "Istanbul Reloaded." The pictures depict violence against nature and highlight the rising demand for energy caused by the aggressive building boom.
Image: Göksu Baysal
Monotonous gray
Under the pretext of making the city safer against earthquakes, a program called "urban renewal" is replacing historic neighborhoods with gray landscapes built of concrete. The local population is often too poor to afford these new apartments and as a result is usually driven out of these areas.
Image: Göksu Baysal
Gezi - from protest to civil movement
What started as a protest against the building boom in Istanbul turned into the Gezi Park demonstrations of summer 2013. In his picture series called "Gezi," Kemal Aslan addresses the resistance of the population against the arbitrariness of the political system. For several weeks, thousands of people in Istanbul demonstrated for freedom and against oppression by institutions.
Image: Kemal Aslan
Women between autonomy and oppression
Since the Gezi protests, the role of civil society has become more prominent, and in particular the role of women. At the same time, however, violence against and murders of women continue to increase steadily. Emine Akbaba's series "Precious Blossom" focuses on women who are unable to free themselves from oppression.
Image: Emine Akbaba
Women as victims of violence
In international comparison, violence against women is extremely high in Turkey. Every other woman reports that she has been harassed on at least one occasion. Between 2010 and 2016, more than 1,600 women were murdered in the country. Emine Akbaba, winner of several photography awards, tries to raise awareness through her work about women's rights, gender equality, and freedom of expression.
Image: Emine Akbaba
'Isn't it love?'
Turkey's LGBT movement has also gained more attention since the start of the Gezi protests. "Isn't it love?" is the title of the series that Ceren Saner produced, which highlights images taken at queer parties. In this photo compilation, Saner questions the nature of love - not sexuality. In Turkey, the series is only shown during the Pride Week or at private events.
