Journalist Fırat Can Arslan held in solitary confinement

Jail authorities have placed journalist Fırat Can Arslan in a single cell on the grounds that his case file does not indicate the name of the “organization” for which he faces charges. Prosecutors are accusing Arslan of “marking counterterrorism officials as targets” via a tweet he posted on July 18.

Duvar English

Journalist Fırat Arslan, who was arrested earlier this week, has been put into a single cell, isolated from other prisoners, on the grounds that prosecutors have not indicated in his file the name of the “organization” with which he is accused of having links, according to reporting by Mezopotamya News Agency (MA).

As part of an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, MA journalists Delal Akyüz and Arslan, T24 editor Sibel Yükler, Bianet editor Evrim Kepenek and journalist Evrim Deniz were all detained on July 25.

Arslan was accused of “marking counterterrorism officials as targets” in a tweet he posted on July 18 on the reappointment of prosecutors who had previously indicted 18 Kurdish journalists over terrorism charges.

As for the remaining journalists, they faced charges for retweeting Arslan’s post.        

On the same day, Arslan was jailed by a formal court order while the four other journalists were released under judicial control.