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Police has raided the houses of Cumhuriyet Daily Ediyor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, President of the Execution Board Akın Atalay and Cumuhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member and writer Güray Öz.
The raids were conducted at around 4 a.m. this morning (October 31). Murat Sabuncu was taken into custody in his house in İstanbul and Güray Öz in his house in Ankara. Columnist Aydın Engin has also been taken into custody.
The houses of columnist Hikmet Çetinkaya and columnist-illustrator Musa Kart have been searched.
There is no police in the building of Cumhuriyet daily at the moment.
Charges of conducting crimes on behalf of PKK/KCK, FETÖ/PYD
According to the information provided by Cumhuriyet daily correspondent Canan Coşkun, İstanbul Chief Prosecutor's office stated that "an investigation was launched on certain suspects [...] on grounds of claims and discoveries made that some executives of the Cumhuriyet Foundation had been sponsoring the PKK/KCK (Kurdistan Workers' Party/Kurdistan Communities Union), FETÖ/PYD (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Organization) and they had been producing articles justifying the coup shortly before the coup attempt on July 15".
Custody orders, arrest warrents*
According to the latest information acquired from Cumhuriyet daily, the names of those for whom custody orders have been issued are;
Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member and financial advisor Eser Sevinç, columnist Hakan Kara, columnist Hikmet Çetinkkaya, cartoonist Güray Öz, cartoonist Musa Kart,Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member and attorney Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member Önder Çelik, Cumhuriyet Daily Ediyor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member Bülent Yener, Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board member attorney Bülent Utku, Cumhuriyet Book Supplement Editor-in-Chief Turhan Günay, columnist Aydın Engin and IPI Executive Board Member and Cumhuriyet daily's Editorial Consultant, journalist and columnist Kadri Gürsel.
Those, against whom custody order has been issued but are currently abroad are Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board President and attorney Akın Atalay and Nebil Özgentürk.
Also an arrest warrent has been issued for Can Dündar as he is also abroad at the moment.
Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board President Orhan Erinç's house has been seached but Erinç was reportedly not taken into custody due to his advanced age.
The computers and laptops in the houses of Turhan Günay and Hakan Kara have been seized and brought to the Security Directorate.
Custody orders have also been issued for Cumhuriyet daily advisor and columnist Kadri Gürsel as well as the daily's accounting manager Günseli Özaltay. Police is currently searching Gürsel's apartment.
*The concerned parties of the custody orders and arrest warrents are being updated.
(EA/NV/DG)
