Murat Aksoy's wife: If only he hadn’t been released

Journalist Murat Aksoy’s wife Şehriban Aksoy, speaking of encountering a situation that is unprecedented anywhere in the world, said, ‘People had made all their preparations with them about to be released. They rushed to their cells in joy at this. Their loved ones came to meet them, but what happens? They are detained again. They were going to come home and be reunited with their loved ones. It was an April fools’ joke.’ Aksoy says they were pushed away stage by stage from the front of the prison without being given any information. She says, ‘The folding partitions were locked. The arrival of a couple of police cars at that time got us worried, making us ask, “What’s going on?” Then they were released and we waited, thinking they were on the way out. They piled in a whole load of soldiers there and nobody gave us information. I say if only the decision to release Murat hadn’t been made in the first place. We’re still in the street.’

Inexplicable through the law

Atilla Taş’s lawyer Prof. Dr. Yaman Akdeniz gave our newspaper the following assessment of the rearrest order following release: ‘There is nothing about them that relates to membership of an armed terrorist organisation. We were delighted at them being released but then they were included in another investigation. A statement could have been taken previously within this investigation. Cem Küçük and the others were influential in this order. It is a disgraceful situation.’ Akdeniz, commenting that the film had been rewound to the start with a more serious accusation, ‘They are currently being held at Vatan Street police station. They are unable to speak either to lawyer colleagues or MPs. We are also unable to obtain information. This could continue for another seven days. An order will probably be issued to remand them in custody once more. This is a travesty. It cannot be explained through the law.’

Unlawful order

CHP MP Sezgin Tanrıkul reacted to the rearresting of the 21 journalists whose release had been ordered by the court by saying, ‘This decision is the severest step taken by the unlawful judicial order. Following this decision, nobody can speak of any trace of the rule of law, the judiciary and justice, which no longer existed anyway.’ CHP MP Barış Yarkadaş commented, ‘It is clear that the judiciary came under midnight pressure and it was seen to that a new investigation file was opened to warrant arrest. I know of no logical or legal concept that is capable of accounting for this thing that has happened.’