Turkish journalists stand trial (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? Several journalists accused of involvement in an alleged plot to topple Turkey's Islamic-rooted government went on trial Tuesday after spending some nine months in jail.

The case is seen as a test for media freedoms in Turkey.

The 13 defendants include investigative journalists Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik and writer Yalcin Kucuk ? a staunch government critic ? as well as Soner Yalcin, the owner of the anti-government news website Oda TV and some of its editors and reporters. A key suspect, an intelligence official, recently died of a heart attack in jail.

International media rights groups were attending Tuesday's opening hearing as observers, said the Journalists' Union of Turkey.

The suspects are among some 400 people on trial in an investigation ? now in its fourth year ? into an alleged hardline secularist group that which allegedly plotted in 2003 to bring down the government through attacks that prosecutors say would have created chaos and sparked a military coup.

Prosecutors accuse the journalists of being members of the media wing of the alleged Ergenekon group, which authorities described as an armed terrorist organization, and working to manipulate public opinion.

Other suspects in the case include politicians, academics and retired military officers.

Critics say the trial is based on flimsy or fabricated evidence and aims to intimidate and muzzle government opponents. The government has defended the Ergenekon investigation as a move toward stronger democracy.

Earlier this year, however, the United States said it was watching the case against journalists "very closely" in light of Turkey's stated support for press freedoms.

Media rights groups say thousands of journalists face prosecution in Turkey. The Journalists' Union of Turkey says 63 are currently imprisoned for their writings or opinions.

The government insists the journalists are not jailed for their writings but for alleged criminal activity.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_coup_plot

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