A Turkish court on Friday put a prominent journalist under arrest just a day after he was released over accusations related to the failed July coup, in a case that has sparked global concern. Journalist and writer Ahmet Altan was detained late on Thursday, after he had been freed earlier in the day after almost two weeks behind bars. The new arrest warrant was issued following an appeal by prosecutors.
The veteran journalist was taken to court early Friday and remanded in custody charged with "attempting to remove the government or attempting to obstruct its work", the Anadolu news agency said. He was also charged with "being a member of a terrorist organisation", referring to the movement of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. An Istanbul court also placed his academic brother Professor Mehmet Altan under arrest on the same charges.
Ankara accuses the preacher of ordering the July 15 attempted coup and the movement of being a "terrorist organisation", claims which Gulen strongly denies. Ahmet Altan is a novelist who has also written for some of Turkey's best dailies including Hurriyet and Milliyet as well as founding the opposition daily Taraf. Mehmet Altan has written books on Turkish politics. The pair are accused of making comments with a "subliminal" message that the putsch was imminent during a talk show on the Can Erzincan TV channel on July 14, the eve of the coup. The broadcaster, seen by the authorities as strongly pro-Gulen, has since been shut down. The Altan brothers case has been a touchpoint for activists and fellow writers across the world worried about what they claim is the erosion of freedom of expression in Turkey.