Turkey: 2 opposition journalists released until trial ends

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s state-run news agency says a court in Istanbul has ordered two journalists for the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper released from prison pending the conclusion of their trial on terror charges.

Anadolu Agency reported that the court ruled Friday that Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu and prominent investigative journalist Ahmet Sik are to be released from pre-trial detention.

Anadolu says the court held that the chairman of the newspaper’s executive board, Akin Atalay, should remain in custody.

The trial was adjourned until March 16.

Prosecutors have charged 19 Cumhuriyet employees with “sponsoring terror organizations” that include Kurdish militants and the network of the U.S.-based cleric the Turkish government blames for a July 2016 coup attempt.

More than 150 Turkish journalists have been jailed in Turkey since the failed coup.