Turkey arrests two journalists from daily Sözcü

A Turkish court arrested two journalists from daily Sözcü late on May 26 over alleged links to the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt, widely believed to have been masterminded by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Gökmen Ulu, a correspondent in the western province of İzmir, and Mediha Olgun, an executive in charge of Sözcü's website, were charged with "committing crimes on behalf of the movement of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen without being members of it." 

Ulu was also charged with "facilitating the physical assault and assassination of the president," state-run Anadolu Agency reported.    
 
Yonca Yücekaleli, a finance executive at the paper who had also been detained, was released by the court.

The court dropped the charge of "membership to a terrorist organization" against Olgun and Ulu.

Ulu and Olgun were first detained on May 19 over an article published on the day of the coup attempt which gave details of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's holiday in the Aegean resort of Marmaris along with pictures of the hotel where he was staying.

In his court testimony, published by Sözcü, Ulu said he was in shock over the allegations and said the article was proof of successful journalism.

"If an organized and sneaky terrorist organization engages in an uprising, would they learn the location of the president from a journalist or a newspaper? The coup-plotters said they knew about the president's whereabouts in their testimonies. Accepting such a charge means underestimating this terrorist organization," Ulu told the court. 

Olgun, meanwhile, asked the court why an article regarding the president constitutes a crime. 

"If I was a member of an organization, why...