Two Turkish journalists were set to stand trial Friday on charges including espionage and supporting a terrorist organization, with rights groups slamming the case as a heavy assault on press freedom in the country.
Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, the editor-in-chief and Ankara correspondent of the government-critical Cumhuriyet newspaper, published a report and a video in May about alleged arms shipments from Turkey to Syrian rebels, including extremist groups.
They were arrested in November and spent three months in prison before the Constitutional Court ordered their release pending trial, which could result in life imprisonment.
Human Rights Watch said Turkey is "putting journalism itself on trial" and noted that arms shipments were a matter of public interest. The country ranks 149th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has waded into the case, vowing the journalists would pay a "heavy price" for their reporting. Turkey is a staunch backer of the Syrian opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
By Shabtai Gold
