JOURNALIST BELGE ACQUITTED
Erol ONDEROGLU

BÝA, Turkey
June 8 2006

Istanbul – An Istanbul court on Thursday acquitted “Radikal” newspaper
journalist Murat Belge on charges of attempting to influence the
outcome of judicial proceedings in an article he wrote last year that
challenged the decision of an Istanbul administrative court to ban
an academic conference on Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.

Belge faced six months to 10 years imprisonment if found guilty and
was the last defendant on trial in a case where four other journalists
were acquitted on the same charges in April.

Charges against Radikal and Milliyet newspaper journalists Ismet
Berkan, Haluk Sahin, Erol Katircigolu and Hasan Cemal in the same
case were dropped, but the favourable verdict was appealed against
by the prosecutor and taken to the Court of Appeals.

Only Belge’s most recent article was deemed in exception of a statue
of limitations imposed for offences committed in writing and through
publications, which is why his case continued.

The Istanbul Bagcilar 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Thursday
dropped charges based on one of Belge’s articles due to the statue
of limitations and acquitted him on the other.

The charges against Belge and previous co-defendants were leveled on
a criminal complaint made by a “Jurists Union” who have, since launch
of the tribunal proceedings in February, been actively involved in
the case demanding to be accepted as an intervening party.

–Boundary_(ID_10+G871mqAZmj6ManPIBHQ)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress