Court accepts Cumhuriyet newspaper indictment

By Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL

A court in Istanbul accepted the indictment on Tuesday concerning 19 Cumhuriyet newspaper administrators and writers.

The suspects, including the daily's former editor-in-chief Can Dundar, have been charged with sponsoring the PKK, Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and leftist DHKP/C terrorist organizations.

Prison sentences requested by the prosecution range from seven-and-a-half years to 43 years.

Out of 19 suspects, two are fugitives -- including Dundar -- 12 have been remanded in custody and five have been released pending trial.

The court ruled that the first hearing be held on July 24.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU and has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 people since July 2015.

FETO is said to be behind the July 15 coup attempt that martyred 249 people martyred, as well as a years-long infiltration of Turkish institutions -- particularly the military, police, and judiciary -- to form what is commonly known as a parallel state.