Turkey frees top journalist, arrests brother

ANKARA – A Turkish court yesterday freed a prominent journalist but placed under arrest his academic brother, after their detention in the probe into the July 15 attempted putsch sparked an international campaign for their release.

Journalist and writer Ahmet Altan and his brother Professor Mehmet Altan were detained on September 10 and were two of the most high-profile figures detained in the crackdown after the botched coup.

The Istanbul court placed Mehmet Altan under arrest ahead of trial on charges of “attempting to remove the government or attempting to obstruct its work“, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

He was also charged with “being a member of a terrorist organisation” referring to the movement of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen’s group is accused of launching the failed coup. Gulen denies the accusations and ridicules Ankara’s designation of his group as a terror outfit.

Ahmet Altan has written for some of Turkey’s best dailies including Hurriyet and Milliyet, as well as founding the opposition daily Taraf. His brother has written several books on Turkish politics.

Although he was released, Ahmet Altan was placed under “judicial control”, Anadolu said, and banned from leaving the country. He walked free before dawn after almost 12 hours in court in a marathon overnight hearing.

The pair were detained over comments in a talk show on the Can Erzincan TV channel on July 14, the eve of the coup which according to state media contained a “subliminal” message that the putsch was imminent. The broadcaster, seen by the authorities as pro-Gulen, has since been shut down.

The Altan brothers’ detention was condemned by rights groups and fellow writers as alarm grows over what activists claim is Turkey’s repeated attacks on freedom of speech.

Nobel-winning Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk had lashed out at the authorities after the detention of Ahmet Altan, criticising the crackdown as driven by “the most ferocious hatred”.