Journalist murders/trials, imprisoned journalists, attacks, threats and restraints, inquiries, new/on-going trials, decisions, defamation, bans, suspensions, confiscations, ECHR and RTUKdecisions...

An Ankara court ruled to release five journalists employed in Yürüyüş magazine on Friday, after they remained under arrest for one and a half years. The court cited in its verdict the amendments that came into force following the ratification of the Third Judicial Reform Package.

In response to new legislation that would grant doctors the right to refuse to perform abortion, medical ethics expert Dr. Muhtar Çokar said that “Doctors can only direct patients to another institution. Otherwise this law will have the same negative repercussions as banning abortion.”

The Human Rights Association (IHD) celebrated its 26th anniversary with a press release in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square on Monday. “The only thing we believe we have succeeded in is the proliferation of the idea that human rights constitute a value and that any struggle is worth waging for it,” IHD member Ümit Efe said.

The Human Rights Association (IHD) released a report concerning the rampant acts of violence committed by the police during the banned demonstrations organized by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) over the weekend in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

The defendant lawyers in the second Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trial in Istanbul requested a stay of proceedings and the release of the defendants. The court rejected all their demands in the suit where some 46 lawyers are currently facing terrorism related charges.

A court finally released eminent academic Prof. Büşra Ersanlı during the eighth hearing of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trial in Istanbul along with 15 other suspects. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has advanced a proposal that would enable authorities to restrict the freedom of press over a wide range of reasons ranging from “national security” to “public morals.”

The 78’ers Initiative Spokesman Celalettin Can and İlhan Canan, the son of Tahir Canan who spent 31 years in prison, both disputed the recent claims raised by deputy Selçuk Özdağ of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that no leftists convicted by the Sept. 12, 1980 coup administration were still left behind bars.

Turkish authorities released journalist Abdülmenaf Düzenci on Monday after he spent 17 months behind bars in connection with terrorism related charges, marking the first such occasion since the ratification of the Third Judicial Reform Package last week. Officials also released 14 students on Tuesday but ruled against the release of Oda TV suspects.

Men killed seven women and a female child, raped eight women, injured nine and sexually harassed a dozen more in June 2012, according to bianet’s tally.

An Ankara court decided to release Bünyamin Adanalı and Ünal Osmanağaoğlu, two the seven perpetrators of the “Bahçelievler massacre” that saw the killing of seven members of the Turkey Workers’ Party (TİP) in 1978.