Turkey's closed-doors trial of journalists condemned as 'a travesty of justice'

Supporters of defendants protest loudly in court as judge says charges of ‘espionage’ will be heard in private

The trial of two prominent Turkish newspaper journalists accused of espionage will take place behind closed doors after a court decision described by critics as “a travesty of justice”.

Can Dundar, editor of Cumhuriyet, and Erdem Gul, the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief, face life in prison for a front-page story claiming that Turkish intelligence services were helping to send weapons to Syria.

Their trial, which began on Friday, is being held up as a test case on the health of the country’s democracy amid warnings that accountability, freedom of expression and the rule of law are all under attack.

Day one did little to dispel claims that the prevailing winds in Turkey, a Nato member that aspires to join the European Union, are blowing in the wrong direction.

There was almost a party atmosphere as the two journalists arrived at Istanbul’s Palace of Justice. Clutching a copy of the front page that led to accusations of divulging state secrets, Mr Dundar, 54, and Mr Gul, 49, grinned and waved at the huge crowd of reporters and well-wishers. As they entered the packed, rowdy courtroom, they were met with cheering and applause.

The mood took a darker turn when a judge ruled that their trial would be held in private, prompting jeers and shouts from the scores of supporters crammed into the hot courtroom. Emma Sinclair-Webb, a researcher with Human Rights Watch who attended the hearing, described the decision to bar the public as a “travesty of justice”.

She said: “Not only does the government prevent journalists from scrutinising stories of public interest… The court now prevents the public scrutinising the trial.” The trial was later adjourned until next month after opposition MPs refused to leave in protest at the decision.

The journalists’ story, published last May, centred on a video that allegedly showed Turkey’s state intelligence agency helping to send weapons to Syria in 2014.

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, acknowledged the trucks belonged to the secret service but claimed they were taking aid to members of the Turkmen ethnic minority. He said that police who stopped and searched the truck had no right to do so and accused them of trying to overthrow the government.

Mr Erdogan, a skilful but deeply divisive politician, has made clear that he views the story as a personal affront, warning the journalists that they would “pay a heavy price”.

When the constitutional court decided last month to free the pair after three months of pre-trial detention, the President declared that he would not abide by the decision. The judge agreed to make Mr Erdogan himself a complainant in the case.

Mr Dundar, meanwhile, has vowed to use the trial to focus on the story itself to expose what he said was illegal action by the state. Speaking on his way into court, he said: “We will defend journalism and the right of the public to be told the truth.”

The Turkish government insists that the case is about national security, not press freedom, but its European allies disagree. Leigh Turner, the British consul general, was one of more than half a dozen foreign diplomats to attend the hearing. However, Turkey’s role in both counterterrorism efforts and the refugee crisis mean that EU leaders have hitherto proved reluctant to respond too harshly to crackdowns on the media as well as the judiciary, academia and civil society.

Dozens of ordinary Turkish citizens were also among those who turned up to support the journalists. Speaking outside the courtroom, Mustafa Koprulu, a retired businessman, and Mehmet Ozturk, a former bank manager, described the case as an important moment for Turkish democracy.

Mr Ozturk, 54, argued that “in Turkey they want to stop us learning the truth”. He said: “It is not just Can Dundar who is being victimised. It is also a normal citizen who reads a newspaper.”