TRIAL OF

2009/06/11 | 15:52

Region

The trial of Turkish journalist Nedim ªener, who recently wrote a
book entitled "The Dink Murder and Intelligence Lies", got underway
yesterday at Istanbul’s Second Court.

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has charged Mr. ªener with the
publication of official secrets and exposing state anti-terrorism
personnel. The reporter faces a maximum prison term of 28 years if
found guilty.

ªener has two trials pending as a result of the complaints. Yesterday’s
trial at the Istanbul Second Court was on violating official
secrets. ªener, who faces up to eight years in jail on this charge,
defended himself by saying that the information in his book was from
phone conversations that were made public on televisions and newspapers
months before his book was printed. "These conversations are also on
the Internet and can be found when one searches Google," he said.

ªener said the trial aimed at preventing the public from learning the
facts about Dink’s murder and press freedom. He asked the court to
find him not guilty. The judge decided to postpone the trial to another
date for the defendant’s lawyers to prepare for the prosecutor’s case.

"Some of the security personnel that sued me are under investigation
for neglecting their duty for Dink’s murder. They want to punish
the journalist writing about the responsibilities of those people,"
said ªener.