Turkey's Justice Ministry denies 'isolation' of imprisoned journalists Dündar, Gül

Turkey's Justice Ministry has denied media reports claiming that Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül are being held in "isolation" during their ongoing pre-trial detention.

Dündar and Gül were arrested on Nov. 26 over their report on weapons-filled Turkish intelligence trucks bound for Syria in early 2014, and have been jailed in separate units of the Slilivri Prison in Istanbul.

"Our legislation does not enforce isolation of detainees or convicts. It is out of the question to keep the forenamed detainees in isolation, as there is no example of such an implementation in the past," the Justice Ministry stated.

It added that Dündar has received visitors "face-to-face" on 59 occasions since he was arrested, lasting a total of 36 hours and 23 minutes. He met with his attorneys 34 times, with parliamentary deputies upon the Justice Ministry's permission 23 times, and with his family twice, according to the ministry.

Gül received visitors on 57 occasions since he was arrested, lasting a total of 33 hours and 23 minutes. He has met with his attorneys 27 times, with parliamentary deputies 24 times, and with his family six times. Meetings between Gül and his family were "closed," or "non-contact," according to the Justice Ministry's statement.

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