Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court has accepted the accusation against 44 journalists who have been detained within the scope of the so-called “KCK” operation on 20 December 2011 which targeted members of the Kurdish press.

The accused journalists, 35 of whom have been held under arrest since the hearing on 24 December, are standing trial for alleged “membership and leadership of an illegal organization”. Özgür Gündem paper editor Turabi Kiþin was also arrested and sent to prison on 2 January.