MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On June 20, a Turkish court ordered the arrest and pre-trial detention of Onderoglu and his two colleagues, Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who have been charged with spreading terror propaganda while participating in a campaign of solidarity with the Kurdish Ozgur Gundem daily which has recently been pressured by Ankara.
"I welcome the decision of the court to release Erol Önderoğlu from prison," Mijatovic wrote in a letter to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, as quoted in the press release. "I trust that it signals the willingness of the authorities to revisit his case and that of his colleagues, and to attribute the necessary importance of media freedom and freedom of expression in their considerations."
Mijatovic stated her concern that charges against Onderoglu remained in place, which means that he faces between two and 14 years in prison if found guilty.
Turkey's crackdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech have been condemned by the international community, including the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia.
Turkey ranks 151st out of 180 countries in the RSF 2016 press freedom index.
