Ankara, Jan 28 () - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş has said his government has repeatedly voiced its objection to the pre-trial detention of journalists in the country.
However, arrest decisions are made by the judiciary, not by the government, Kurtulmuş told members of parliament’s planning and budget commission in the early morning of Jan. 27 during ongoing debates over the 2016 budget.
“I would like to say that what is principal is trial without detention due to journalism activities” Kurtulmuş said.
Hours after these remarks were delivered Turkish prosecutors demanded aggravated life sentences for daily Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and Ankara Bureau Chief Erdem Gül, who were arrested on Nov. 26, 2015, over the publication of footage purporting to show Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) helping send weapons to Syria.
