Turkey takes journalists' trial behind closed doors

Two Turkish journalists went on trial in Istanbul yesterday facing possible life terms on hugely controversial espionage charges, with the court immediately banning the public from a case seen as a test of press freedom under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of leading opposition daily Cumhuriyet, and Erdem Gul, his Ankara bureau chief, are charged with espionage and revealing state secrets over a story accusing the government of seeking to illicitly deliver arms to rebels in Syria.

The judge on Friday ordered the trial to be held behind closed doors, granting a request by the prosecution which cited security concerns around the highly controversial case.

Around 200 supporters chanting "You will not silence press freedom" applauded the reporters as they arrived at the courthouse for the start of the trial.

"We are here to defend journalism," Dundar, 54, told reporters. "We will defend journalism and the right of the public to be told the truth."

Cumhuriyet's report sparked a furore when it was published in May, fuelling speculation about Turkey's role in the Syrian conflict and its alleged ties to Islamist groups in the country.

Erdogan reacted furiously to the allegations, personally warning Dundar he would "pay a heavy price".

Dundar and Gul were arrested in November and held in pre-trial detention for three months before being released in February on the orders of the Constitutional Court, which ruled their right to free speech had been violated.